


Shots of Ectoplasm

by AstroPhantom



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Ectober Week 2015, Ectober Week 2016, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Ghosts, Gore, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lab Accidents, M/M, One-Shot Collection, Phanniemay 2016, Revelation, Romance, S.S. prompts, Suspense, Vengeful Babes Week, family/friend bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 65
Words: 74,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8243758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroPhantom/pseuds/AstroPhantom
Summary: A collection of my Danny Phantom one-shots, guaranteed to make you feel all the things or the next shot is on the house. Enjoy!





	1. One-shots On Tap (Chapter List)

**Welcome to my _Danny Phantom_  one-shots!**

*Note: If you're looking for my OC Cassie-centric shots, check out  _Tangents of A Genius._ And if you're looking for the exit, too bad. You're locked in.

This is a collection of my Danny Phantom one-shots, and will range in all sorts of ectoplasmic (and human) goodness, including most events I do, such as Ectober Week and Phanniemay. So kick back, relax, and enjoy!

Kiddie-friendly ecto-jello shots are available for half-off. ;)

* * *

**Shots of Ectoplasm ::: On Tap**

** _\- Denotes fic that gives these shots their M-rating (just in case)._

_Ch. 2-6_ :  **Prompts from** sapphireswimming  **\- Part 1**

2.  **I Am the Raven**  
3.  **Freak Pizza**  
4.  **Cleverness: A Guide to Laziness**  
5.  **The Mastered Question  
** 6.  **Change of Plans** **

_Ch. 7-13_ :  **Ectober Week 2015**

7.  **A Sufferin' Spook**  
8.  **Surprise in Stroll**  
9.  **Ghost Peppered**  
10.  **Gravity Rocks**  
11.  **Trick-and-Treat**  
12.  **Mischief Bites**  
13.  **The Comfort of Nothing**

_Ch. 14-18_ :  **Prompts from** sapphireswimming  **\- Part 2**

14.  **Grass on a Bun**  
15.  **Just Save Him**  
16.  **Fenton Knows Best**  
17.  **Alone in a World So Cold  
** 18.  **Worth a Shot**

_Ch. 19-49_ :  **Phanniemay 2016**

19.  **The Fenton Ring**  
20.  **Far Away**  
21.  **Adventures From a PDA**  
22.  **Rock Island**  
23.  **Revenge of the Kiss**  
24.  **Phantom Pain**  
25.  **No One Left**  
26.  **Catching a Break**  
27.  **Surfer Ghost**  
28.  **A Ghost's Game**  
29.  **Annie, Are You Okay?**  
30.  **Returned Favors**  
31.  **Hot Date**  
32.  **Exotic Milkshakes**  
33.  **Burn Out**  
34.  **Not At First**  
35.  **Differing Taste Buds**  
36.  **Hand Over the Map**  
37.  **Tonight He Is Victorious**  
38.  **Winter Monsterland**  
39.  **Monster in Waiting**  
40.  **Volley Girl**  
41.  **Save the Date!**  
42.  **Pretty Young Thing**  
43.  **She Blinded Me With Science**  
44.  **Casual Demons**  
45.  **Masters of Champions**  
46.  **The X Factor**  
47.  **Saucy Rush**  
48.  **A Peaceful Engagement  
** 49.  **New Plan**

_Ch. 50-53_ :  **Prompts from**  sapphireswimming  **\- Part 3**

50.  **Ponies of a Feather**  
51.  **More Than One Hero**  
52.  **Symbiosis  
** 53.  **Truth of Purity**

_Ch. 54-60_ :  **Ectober Week 2016**

54.  **Don't Forget Me**  
55.  **Midnight Tricks**  
56\. **Handmade**  
57.  **Deal of the Knight**  
58.  **The Red Witch**  
59.  **Pumpkin Fright**  
60.  **Eclipsed**

_Ch. 61-65_ :  **Vengeful Babes Week 2017**

61.  **A Hunter's Game** **  
62.  **Friendly Gestures**  
63\. **Distractions in Paradise**  
64.  **Danielle: The First Ectobender**  
65.  **Breaking Point**

_Ch. 66-?_ :  **To be determined...**

66.  _In progress..._

* * *

Please consume responsibly. :)


	2. I Am the Raven

Danielle could only describe the scene in front of her with one word: chaos.

It was as if this ravenous pack of wolves had never consumed a single morsel before, and the jackrabbit squirming around in circles between them would probably do little to placate their appetites. But as long as she didn’t move a muscle, they surely wouldn’t go after her. Right?

_Wrong_.

As they neared ever closer to their prey, the shrill squawk of an alarmed raven filled the silent darkness just behind Danielle’s ears. The vicious growling and barking from the wolves ceased immediately, and the jackrabbit took the opportunity to race off behind her as all hungry eyes turned towards the sound to find her standing there, peeking out from behind a tree. The raven was gone into the sky already.

Now she was the raven.

And boy, did she wish she could fly right now. Only she couldn’t. The reason she was in this whole mess in the first place was to stay undercover from the likes of Vlad and the Guys In White. Everyone, really. And any use of her ghost powers, even the slightest blip, would blow her cover for sure.

With no other options, Danielle began to run. The jackrabbit already had a head-start, but hopefully something else would show up to distract the wolves now chasing after her.

There was a clear straight path in front of her, at least as far as she could see in the light of the full moon peppered through the tree branches. If she remembered her exploration from earlier, there was a river somewhere up ahead she could cross, and just beyond that, a particularly large tree she could climb for safety. She just had to be quick before she got trampled over, or worse, eaten alive.

Running faster, ever so faster, Danielle nearly tripped on her own two feet. But if she could just make it to that tree, she could _survive_. She had to survive. She’d suffer through far too much already–mostly at the hands of Vlad–to fall prey to a bunch of wild savage  _beasts_. It wasn’t going to end like this.

There it was! The river! With a renewed sense of that primal instinct to keep on living, she dared her feet to go as fast as possible towards the rushing water.

The water itself was only a few inches thick as it streamed over a bed of rocks. Perfect. She’d face way worse in the Colorado mountains when she had blindly trained with Vlad. Except there hadn’t been wolves there. Ah, there was the upside of this situation. No Vlad here. For now.

In eight quick-yet-careful long strides, she was across the river, shoes now squelching against the forest turf. Absentmindedly, she noted that the water seemed to be louder from this side of the stream. Perhaps that would be an advantage in throwing off the wolves.

Finally, she was at the foot of the tree, her safe haven. There was a series of low-lying branches just out of reach of the wolves, but close enough for her fifteen-year-old body to jump up and grab onto. Higher and higher she climbed, until she was just under the dense, leafy part of the tree. She perched herself on a sturdy branch and gazed back down at the madness that had followed her.

The wolves had gathered underneath Danielle, ticked that she had foiled their plans to have her for dinner. Some of them paced anxiously, while others glared up at her, snarling eagerly, game faces on.

God, she wished she was back in Danny’s room, playing video games with her cousin and his two best friends. She wanted to be far away from here, away from the unsolicited stares these animals were lavishing upon her. Or at least find something else to grab their attention.

And  _hello_  attention-grabber.

The jackrabbit was back. Or another one, anyway. Danielle watched hopefully as the small creature seemed to lose its way and dart through the mass of wolves. And then the real frenzy began.

A few of the wolves were quick to cut off the rabbit’s path deeper into the forest, causing it to back up into a trap of the circling predators. Once again, it had nowhere to go.

The little fella tried a few underhanded tactics to get past the wall of bared teeth. It would try to rush at a particular wolf and then twist its path immediately to the right or left, but it was to no avail. The gang had its bases covered.

Eventually, however, Danielle could see the rabbit’s bigger scheme. As it kept darting to and fro, it was slowly but surely moving the entire group towards some underbrush off to the side. The wolves were completely unaware of it, focusing solely on the target.

And then it happened. The rabbit got the circle close enough to the bushes that one of the wolves unwittingly ran into them for a split second. This gave the rabbit the opening it needed to quickly run underneath the shrubbery and away from the scene. The wolves growled frustratedly after it, unable to clear the tall bushes with enough speed to stay caught up with their prey.

In her head, Danielle silently cheered for the rabbit’s cleverness. Survival of the fittest indeed. Only now she kind of wished the wolves had still pursued it as all heads turned back towards her, as if the rabbit’s victory had been her fault.

The growling intensified, drowning out some of the white noise of the river to her left. She suddenly felt extremely small and vulnerable. What she wouldn’t give to be able to use her flying ability right now, but  _damn it, Vlad_ …

And man alive, why did these  _beasts_  have to get even more threatening and vicious just because they couldn’t catch one measly jackrabbit? She looked out from her perch at the path the rabbit had fled down, slightly miffed it had left her in this predicament and didn’t even know it had done so.

Jackrabbit, 1. Wolves, 0. Danielle, doomed.

As the wolves closed in on her and even began to jump against the trunk of the tree, she shut her eyes and braced for impact. The rush of the river seemed nonexistent now, but a new, strange sound started to pour in her ears as reality suddenly hit her like a train: the thudding of bats against the hands of taunting, vengeful teenage boys.

That’s it. This was officially the last time Danielle would ever fill in for Danny at a football game as the Casper High Raven mascot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betcha didn't expect that. ;)
> 
> So, yeah, welcome to my collection of DP one-shots! The first bunch of these will be prompts given to me by sapphireswimming.
> 
> This first prompt was "Survival + Dani." I took it in a direction I didn't even really expect. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy these!


	3. Freak Pizza

“Hey Skulker, babe, do you want pizza?”  
  
Skulker looked up from the wrench he was using to repair a weapon to stare at his girlfriend, Ember, perplexed. “Excuse me?”  
  
She flipped up a small piece of paper into the air and pushed it into his face. “Some doofus thought it would be funny to give me a ‘Free Pizza’ coupon as a tip today while I was playing in the park. I hate the dweeb, but I gotta admit, it sounds good. You in?”  
  
“Uh, I guess…” he answered hesitantly, still taken aback by the sudden offer.  
  
“Great! Have fun then!” Ember quipped as she dropped the coupon into his lap and turned on her heel to leave.

“Wait, what?”  
  
“Well I’m not gonna go get it. Those teenage dorks would mob me. So yeah, thanks babe. See you in a bit!”  
  
Skulker let out a frustrated growl as his girlfriend left the room without giving him another chance to speak. Well, it looks like he was going to get a pizza.  
  
He threw his wrench at the defective ecto-blaster on the table and grumbled his way out of his lair, flying into the abyss of the Ghost Zone with coupon in hand.  
  
It took twenty minutes just to get to the ghost child’s family’s portal to the human realm, and then it became a matter of phasing through the top of the welp’s roof to look out over the worldly domain of Amity Park to figure out  _just where the hell this pizza place was_.  
  
Skulker glared at the coupon in one hand, a hard grimace on his face as he searched the tiny writing for the place’s name, and perhaps an address. There.  _Casper’s Pizzeria_. Of course these humans would abuse the ghostly theme.  
  
Nevertheless, the name sounded familiar. If he was not mistaken, the place was next to a music store Ember had once performed at. She had forced him to attend as her bodyguard against any appearances of Phantom. That had been a long, difficult night for many reasons that he’d rather forget.  
  
The quicker he could get this done with and get back home, the better. As in, he had to avoid any signs of ghost hunters and any riling up of the greasy-faced teenager that was sure to be behind the counter. Just go in, hand over the coupon, get pizza. No threats and no weapons. Man, he hated doing errands for Ember.  
  
It was easy enough for him to fly into the eatery’s propped-open front doors, but he was immediately greeted by shrill screams from the handful of customers eating pizza and the young man leaning against the cash register, who promptly ran out the back door. Skulker just shrugged his shoulders. Now he wouldn’t have to face any awkward human-ghost social interaction, so long as he moved swiftly before anyone else arrived.  
  
He phased his bulky frame behind the counter into the small kitchen space and picked out one of the large pre-made pizzas from a stack of boxes under heat lamps, making sure it was Hawaiian for Ember. As he headed back outside, he threw the now-crumpled coupon on the counter and yelled out, “You can come out now!”  
  
He didn’t care if anyone heard him as he headed back to the portal.

* * *

Skulker had to admit–the pizza did smell good. His dash through the portal and the beginning of the Ghost Zone seemed to get faster the more its scent wafted into his nose. He was getting hungry now.  
  
Only his return trip was halted when a large gloved hand stopped him in his tracks, turning him towards its owner’s skull of a face. Walker.  
  
“And what’s this we have here?” his authoritative voice bellowed out above. “A box of human food?”  
  
Skulker began to silently curse himself for not being more careful on his way home. He knew the prison was nearby, but he had been distracted.  
  
“I expected more of you, Skulker. Human contraband is against the rules.”  
  
“Walker, please. Ember had a coupon for pizza, and made me go get it.” He immediately mentally slapped himself. It looked like he wasn’t going to win Boyfriend of the Year.  
  
“Doesn’t matter,” the warden continued. “Human food isn’t allowed here. The consequences are severe.”  
  
The hunter ghost braced for his sentence, but then remembered a certain negotiation he had in place with Walker. “Wait! You can’t arrest me,” he blurted out. “I’m still under contract to help your guards hunt down a few more escaped prisoners. Arresting me would be breaking your own rules.”  
  
He could see his words being processed as a grimace fell over the other ghost’s face. “Alright,  _fine_. You’re safe…for now. But I’m still confiscating the pizza. Can’t have contraband sneaking its way into these parts.”  
  
With that, Walker released him before yanking the food out of his hand. Skulker felt relieved momentarily until he realized his new predicament. Ember was going to kill him.  
  
He didn’t want to go to back to the human realm–it was too far and he was so close to home. But if he didn’t come back with a pizza, he probably wouldn’t have a home. And they didn’t have any ingredients of their own to cook one from scratch…  
  
…But he knew who did! The Lunch Lady! Surely she would be able to whip something up for him. If he remembered correctly, she  _did_  serve meals while they had both been prisoners of Walker.  
  
The Lunch Lady’s lair was off-course from his own by a fair distance, but it was still closer than going back to Amity Park. Still, he had never really explored that part of the Ghost Zone in depth.  
  
Skulker veered to left of his island and headed for the culinary corner of the zone, about ten minutes away. As he neared closer, he passed a series of floating restaurants and diners bustling with patron ghosts and cooks alike. Human or ghost, food was loved by all.  
  
Finally, he saw a basic cube of a building with a brick exterior. If he didn’t know any better, he would say it looked like a prison itself, but the adjoining high school that served as its primary customer proved otherwise. The back door was open, and as he floated through it he was greeted by a massive industrial kitchen, pristine in cleanliness but worn from years of use. There were a few cooks milling about the appliances, with his target seeming to oversee it all near the front of the kitchen.  
  
“Uhm, hello there,” Skulker began as he neared her counter. He knew she could be formidable when provoked, so he had to do his best to be polite and compliant to keep her in her friendly, grandma-like form.  
  
The Lunch Lady turned towards him curiously and asked in her sweet tone, “Oh! Hello there, dearie. What can I help you with?”  
  
“My girlfriend sent me out to get pizza, but my first one was sort of…taken away. Is there any way you could make me a Hawaiian pizza?” He crossed his fingers hopefully at his side.  
  
“Well, of course I can. But I’m not familiar with ‘Hawaiian.’ What kind of toppings does it have?”  
  
“Pineapple and ham.”  
  
“Oh? No other meat?”  
  
“No…?” Skulker could have sworn he saw a glimmer of anger cross her eyes.  
  
Her hair started to dance a little as she questioned threateningly, “Are you sure about that?”  
  
“I guess not,” he answered quickly. “Pile on the sausage and pepperoni on half of it then.”  
  
This seemed to placate her. “Alright then, dear. We’ll have that ready in a few minutes for you.” She veered off towards the back of the kitchen to relay orders as he began to wait.

* * *

Within ten minutes, Skulker had his order, and was heading back towards his island to deliver the pizza to Ember and finally eat some of it. He was starving now. This pizza trip had taken far too long.  
  
Unfortunately for him, it was about to get even longer. With his eyes directed forward on his home, he didn’t see the blue streak sneak up behind him and yank out the pizza box from his hands, followed by a distinct, annoying, “Beware!”  
  
Skulker slapped his face and sighed. He must have crossed the wrong path with Johnny 13′s unlucky shadow, because this was just plain unfair.  
  
“Give that back,” he demanded frankly, all chances for patience long thrown out the window.  
  
“Never!” the Box Ghost shouted back. “This thin, delicious-smelling box will serve my planned doom well!”  
  
Skulker activated a weapon from his shoulder and aimed it at the nuisance. “Give that back now. I  _need_  that pizza!”  
  
“Oh, you mean this pizza?” the Box Ghost teased as he lifted the lid and looked inside.  
  
The hunter started to reach for the box, now worried. “Hey, don’t open that! It’ll get cold!”  
  
“Hehe! I’ll be sure to–ugh! Pineapple on pizza?! That’s nasty, man! Here, you can keep this.”  
  
Skulker watched in shock as the Box Ghost proceeded to lift the pizza pie out of the box and toss it away without a second thought. Some of the looser toppings flew off as it spun out of control against the green swirls of the Ghost Zone. He swallowed down any remaining panic as he raced after it and caught it like a frisbee before it completely fell apart.  
  
“I’m gonna put your pelt on my mantle next chance I get!” he yelled at the now-fading laugh of his box’s thief.  
  
 _Great, just great_ , Skulker thought. Well, at least he still had the pizza this time.   
  
Only he doubted that Ember would be pleased with a drooping pizza in his hands when he got home. With no other options, he shamefully took out one of his hunting cages and placed the food neatly in the center, trying to even out the messed-up toppings. He let out a resigned sigh and finished out the rest of the trek to his island, all while keeping a death grip on his cage of pizza.  
  
When he finally did get home, he went to the living room where Ember was sitting, strumming her guitar.  
  
She looked up from her instrument when he shut the door with a bang, but immediately did a double-take when she saw the pizza in his cage. She couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of him. “Should I ask?” she asked as she held back a laugh.  
  
Skulker only let out a frustrated grumble and a distressed moan as he set the pizza on the table and sat down in front of it, clearly in no mood to talk and just done with the day.  
  
“Well, at least you actually got the food here.” Then, remembering how he failed to capture Phantom yet again earlier in the week, Ember added, “Unlike the ghost kid.”  
  
Skulker only whined as his head hit the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, poor Skulker. Can't catch a break.
> 
> Hey-o! This is the second prompt from sapphireswimming: "Exploration + Skulker." I combined it with a request to write about food in the Ghost Zone (specifically, NursingStudent on FFn couldn't picture Skulker with a pizza). Think of it as an exploration into the culinary side of the Zone.


	4. Cleverness: A Guide to Laziness

The sunlight of a new Hawaiian day trekked across Danny’s face, causing him to wiggle further under his fluffy comforter as the light gradually warmed his body. This was the way to wake up. A happy smile crawled on his lips as he remembered where he was: in a guest bedroom of the Mansons’ beach house on the island of Oahu on a summer trip with Sam and Tucker, away from any and all ghost fighting and school. And he was perfectly content to spend the rest of the morning basking in the cozy, relaxed warmth of his bed with this fact. This was true paradise.

“DANNYYY!”

Well, almost true paradise.

Danny grumbled into his pillow as memories of the previous night rushed back to him. The three of them had held a really nice bonfire party on the beach, just outside his window, and Sam had even invited some of her friends from the island who had acted as their unofficial tour guides earlier in the day. Those four were a fun, carefree bunch, and definitely fit Danny’s idea of Hawaiian surfers. He’d have to ask them for balancing tips before he faced the waves himself.

But what sucked about the party was the ill-placed bet he had made against his friends. For some reason, Sam wanted to test his ghostly-altered temperature boundaries, so once the fire had  _just_ been extinguished, she dared him to firewalk all away across the ring of still-glowing embers. Whoever lost had to cook a full breakfast for the household in the morning.

Wanting to impress Sam and her Hawaiian posse, Danny had taken the bet. He’d made it across about two-thirds of the way before his bare feet cried uncle and he leapt the rest of the way, hopping around on the sand much to the others’ entertainment. It turns out he could handle extreme cold, but not heat. Figures.

But as innocent as the wager was, he just did not want to leave his bed. Just an hour or so more of sleep was all he wanted. Plus, while he was a quick healer thanks to his ghost half, his feet probably still had some blisters and walking would hurt for a few hours more.

“DANNY! Come on! We’re hungry!”

Apparently his pain meant nothing to the taunting Sam, even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to fly around it since her friends had stayed the night and didn’t know about Phantom. Why would she want him to cook anyway? She knew he wasn’t very good at it.

Begrudgingly, Danny kicked his legs over the side of his bed and let his feet hit the floor.

“Ye-ouch!” That was a mistake. Apparently his feet were worse off than he’d predicted. He lifted them up off the carpet a little bit and stared hard at the mirror above the bamboo dresser. Perhaps if he floated just half an inch off the ground, and still moved his legs as if he was walking, he could pull it off…

…Or, he could go with the brilliant idea his reflection was giving him. Without a second thought, he switched into his Phantom persona and split his focus in two, giving life to a duplicate twin of himself. They both grinned at each other and simultaneously transformed into two Danny Fentons. The duplicate should be able to walk no problem, if past experiments had proven anything. This was perfect.

Danny saluted knowingly to his twin and mentally congratulated himself on a job well done. He would fulfill his bet  _and_  get to spend some more time in bed. With nothing left to do, he grabbed his iPod, plugged his headphones in, and let his mind drift lazily through the music under the warmth of the Egyptian cotton sheets.

* * *

“You’ve got some nerve, Fenton.”

Danny’s eyes popped open at the sound of Sam’s smirking voice. His girlfriend stood towering over his bed, his yanked headphones in one hand and the wrist of his sheepish-looking duplicate in the other. Her mouth held an impressed-yet-annoyed wavering smile.

“Uhh…you didn’t properly get my ‘good morning’ sing-a-gram, I’m guessing?” he joked in an attempt to look cute.

Sam wasn’t buying it. “Nice try, but no. You lost the bet, and were supposed to make us all breakfast, but instead I find you sleeping through it. Tsk tsk.”

“Hey! I was down there!” Danny defended. “And up here. It’s called multitasking.”

“No, it’s called being lazy and not fulfilling a bet.”

“But I was! Look at him,” he motioned to his other self. “He’s just as much me as I am. How could you even tell the difference?”

“But if he’s doing the work that means you’re not suffering your loss properly, and I always like to make sure my bets are seen through the right way,” she explained, a knowing gleam in her eye. “And I knew it wasn’t you because Fenton the Second here was walking just fine around the kitchen.”

Danny gulped down a hint of fear of her seemingly perpetual observation skills.

Sam leaned down and placed a hand on his chest, nearly whispering into his ear, “I know how hot those embers can be, trust me, and there’s no way you’d be able to walk normally yet, even with your ghostly healing powers. So next time you send him to do your dirty work, make sure he’s limping or something, ‘kay?”

Something about her proximity to him and her vaguely threatening tone left him breathless and only able to nod. Whether or not that was a good thing was still unclear.

She began to pull him out of bed and lead him towards his bedroom door. He had to muffle a scream in his throat from the pain running through his blistered feet. No wonder she had been able to call his bluff.

“And just so you learn your lesson,” Sam continued in a sultry voice. “While you’re cooking all of us that breakfast, I’m going to take your twin here back to my room and have a little fun of my own.”

Danny felt his knees start to quiver, which simply egged her on. “You know, you may be onto something with this little duplication trick of yours. You’re going to be kissing my neck  _and_  cooking me food at the same time. How convenient.”

“That’s…that is so unfair,” he whined, staring at his lucky duplicate, who had the biggest smirk on his face.

Sam pushed him into the hallway towards the stairs. “Hey, you gotta be punished somehow. Now get going. My pineapple’s not going to dice itself, and Tucker can’t shut up about bacon.”

Danny cursed his luck and began the tedious trek downstairs. So much for enjoying the nice warm Hawaiian morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably easy to guess, but the prompt was "Laziness + Danny." Have some Danny being the beach bum that he probably is deep down.


	5. The Mastered Question

Two-year-old Jazz Fenton was babbling up at her mother when Jack entered the living room. Her playpen was just off to the side of the couch so Maddie could keep an eye on her while tinkering with gadgets and simultaneously resting her pregnant form. In about a week Jazz would officially be a big sister.

Jack’s hands were nervously gripping and twisting the kitchen phone as he sat down next to his wife. His usual exuberance was significantly mellowed by a certain uneasiness in his features. “Do you think he’ll still be mad?” he posed softly to the room.

“Jack, we talked about this. The lab accident was nearly ten years ago. I highly doubt Vlad’s mad anymore. He’s probably busy being all rich and successful Mr. Millionaire now. We should be happy he’s doing so well!” The gizmo currently on her lap beeped loudly, as if in agreement.

“But he hasn’t really returned any of our calls. He can’t be busy  _all_  the time,” he replied, hurt swelling in his voice.

“You’re right. Perhaps he’ll pick up this time then.” Maddie caught the still-lingering grimace on his face and added, “Hey, time heals all wounds, right? It can’t hurt to ask him.” She reassuringly patted his knee.

“Yeah…” He began to dial a number from memory into the phone, then carefully brought it to his ear. Time seemed to slow down with each successive ring.

Finally, a deep, suave voice answered. “Vlad Masters.”

Jack’s face lit up at hearing his old college buddy. “VLADDIE!” He turned to give a thumbs-up to Maddie, who grinned back at his accomplishment.

“Oh god…Jack?”

“Yep! How you’ve been?” He leaned back against the couch to relax, draping an arm over the back edge.

“I-Listen Jack, I can’t talk now,” Vlad explained frustratedly. There was a certain rush in his words that hadn’t been there when he first picked up. “I’ve got a meeting in-”

“Aw, come on Vlad. This’ll only take a few minutes, and it’s very important. For old times’ sake,” Jack pleaded.

There was a bristled sigh, and then, “Very well. You have two minutes.”

Jack straightened himself up and began asking what he’d gone over in his head and with Maddie dozens of times. “Okay, well, I know it’s been a while since we all last got together, but Maddie and I are gonna have a baby next week and I-”

“Wait, wait, wait,  _what?_ What did you just say?” Vlad’s voice was bordering panic and shock.

“That…Maddie and I…are going to have a baby?” Vlad’s alarm was almost making him question what he had said himself.

Silence blared on the phone for a few seconds. Jack could hear Jazz mumbling something over her blocks in the corner and could feel Maddie’s questioning worry bore into him. Then without explanation, what sounded like a zap followed by shattering glass filled his ear.

“Vlad?! Vlad, are you okay?” Click. The dial tone beeped into life.

Jack exhaled loudly and rested his elbows on his knees. “Looks like he’s still mad,” he remarked glumly.

“Let me see that,” Maddie said, taking the phone from him and redialing the number. “This is ridiculous. It’s been nine years; he should be over it. Let’s just go with plan B, okay?”

“But Maddie, I don’t think that’s why-”

“Hello, Vlad? It’s Maddie…Yeah, this is actually our second kid. We already have a girl, Jazz.” Jack braced for another outburst of broken glass over the muffled connection, but surprisingly none came. “Listen, there’s something very important Jack wants to ask you, for the both of us. It would mean a lot if you said yes…okay, great! Here he is!”

She handed the phone back to Jack with a smile and mouthed, “ _Plan B!_ ” He answered her with a quizzical, doubting look, unsure of her ability to change Vlad’s mind, but proceeded anyway. “Vlad?” he treaded cautiously.

“Hello, Jack.” Vlad’s voice was much more solemn now. Whatever anger he had possessed minutes before seemed to be out of his system, or at least well-hidden. “What do you want to ask me?”

Jack took Maddie’s hand in his for support. “I was-We were wondering if…you would like to come out here next week for the baby’s birth and a mini-reunion of sorts…and to perhaps be the kids’ uncle? We’d like to make up for things.”

There was a longer pause this time, but Jack found solace in the fact that it was for deliberation, not rage. The worst that could come of it now was a no.

“What day is the baby supposed to be born?”

“Thursday, if all goes well.”

“I’ll be there Tuesday,” Vlad finally answered, the faintest bit of a smile just peeking through. “See you then.”

Jack’s mood perked up exponentially as he hung up the phone and looked back over at Maddie. “Well, we’re probably going to have to do some convincing, but I think he’ll say yes when we ask him the big question! He’ll be here Tuesday.” He beamed as he cuddled up next to her.

Maddie caught his newfound enthusiasm almost immediately. “Oh good! It’ll be so nice to catch up with him again. Just like old times…but with two new guests.” She patted her overgrown tummy and looked over at Jazz, who smiled in glee back up at her parents. Uncle Vlad was coming.

* * *

In the two days Vlad had been in Amity Park, Jack had not once been able to pinpoint his old friend’s exact feelings towards the whole situation.

Vlad had arrived on Tuesday and, like the wealthy gentleman and new uncle that he was, presented a daisy flower to Jazz and a bouquet of tiger lilies to a glowing Maddie. And later that night, he even helped Jack to barbecue dinner for the family as part of a backyard picnic.

But all during this Fenton-Masters reunion, Jack couldn’t shake the feeling that Vlad seemed…distant. Almost like there was a detached jealousy surrounding the man. Jack’s conscience always got the better of him though each time by convincing him that it was all just old college grudges that needed to be smoothed over in due time, and his worries were squashed. Besides, he seemed to have taken a real liking to Jazz already. The power of a child’s smile had wondrous effects on people.

All too soon however, it was Thursday afternoon and Jack was throwing every caution to the wind as he raced a fully-occupied Ghost Assault Vehicle through the streets of Amity Park. Maddie was reclined in the passenger seat to his right, while Vlad was in the back watching over Jazz while keeping a death grip on his own seat. With the way he was driving, it was fortunate they were going to a hospital anyway.

Once Maddie had been signed in and was settling into her room to prepare for the birth, and she had reassured the boisterous Jack that she was fine, he stumbled anxiously back into the waiting room, where Vlad was staring wide-eyed at the wall across from him, a spooked look on his face. Jazz was sipping on a box of apple juice to his left, her little legs swinging back and forth against the edge of her chair.

As Jack sat down next to him, Vlad mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, “No wonder I had to drive you guys everywhere in college…”

This got a laugh out of Jack. “To be honest, V-Man, I was way worse when Jazz was born.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope. I’m the reason there’s no more roundabouts in this town. They repaved them into normal intersections.”

Vlad eyed him suspiciously and leaned back into his seat. “Oh dear god…Dare I even ask?”

“Probably best that you don’t,” he chuckled. Silence swiftly overtook the both of them, and they stared at the fuzzy TV screen in the corner of the room for a few minutes. An episode of  _The Simpsons_  was on.

On the commercial Vlad spoke up again, asking, “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”

“We do,” Jack answered, grinning. “But we want to keep it a surprise. But you’ll know soon enough. And no, Jazz doesn’t even know yet.” He laughed as he saw his friend’s face fall as his secret plan was foiled.

“I’ll know pretty soon though. You nervous?”

“Yeah,” Jack admitted bashfully. “I mean, I-we’ve done this before, so I’m not  _as_  nervous. It’s more…exciting than anything.”

“Really? I’m so nervous I could…well, if I had some, let’s just say I’d be on my fifth glass of vodka right now.” Vlad brought his elbows to his knees and clasped his hands together, bowing his head. Their conversation was visibly starting to dig into his mind.

It was Jack’s turn to be questioning as he looked over at him. “Really? Why?”

“I just…” He paused, then leaned a hand on one knee and glanced back, sighing. “You’re a very lucky man, Jack, you know that?”

Jack playfully punched him on the shoulder and jumped at his response. “Well, so are you, V-Man. Look at you! Not even ten years out of college and you’re already a millionaire!”

Vlad scoffed woefully. “Nah, Jack. You’re the lucky one, trust me. You’re gonna have two children, and you have Madd-”

“Mr. Fenton? It’s baby time! Please, come this way.” The two men gazed up at the nurse that had interrupted them, a clipboard held steadfastly in his young hands as he double-checked the name.

They stared back at each other as Jack’s face broke into a huge smile. “It’s baby time,” he repeated joyously, then added gently, “Don’t worry, Vladdie. I’m sure that kind of luck is going to show up for you soon. I’ve got a good feeling. For starters, think you can watch Jazz on your own,  _Uncle_  Vlad?”

This seemed to cheer Vlad up. “Yeah. And thanks.” He gave his friend an encouraging pat on the back as he stood to follow the nurse. “Oh, and Jack?”

“Hm?” Jack halted near the front desk and turned back. For a second he could have sworn he saw the hidden pain that had been pent up the past two days reappear in Vlad’s features, as if he had turned around too soon, and he furrowed his brow in anticipation.

Yet, a sudden calm seemed to wash over Vlad. “Congratulations,” he offered sincerely.

Jack’s face relaxed into a very happy grin and he nodded his head in appreciation before he began walking down the hall to his wife.

* * *

“Knock knock. Are we interrupting?” Maddie and Jack both jumped in surprise at the voice coming from the door, but turned their heads to find Vlad and Jazz peeking into the room.

“Come in you guys!” Jack called from the far side of the hospital bed Maddie was propped up on. She looked exhausted - both of them did - but was beaming nevertheless at the tiny green bundle in her arms. Vlad and Jazz wandered further into the room towards them.

Maddie gave Jack a knowing look and rolled the bundle out for everyone to see. “Jazz…Vlad…meet our new baby boy, Daniel.”

Jazz was immediately awestruck and reached a hand out to poke curiously at the face peeking out at her. She squealed in delight when she heard a squeak. “Daniel!”

“Yes, sweetie,” Maddie confirmed. “He’s your new brother. You can also call him Danny. Go on, say, ‘Hi Danny!’”

“Hi Danny!” came her giggled response.

Vlad, more than anything, seemed astonished. His mouth was agape as he stared wordlessly at the small boy.

“Vlad?” Jack prodded. “Are you okay?”  
  
“Hm? Oh, yes, I…” he trailed off, still mesmerized. “May I hold him?”

The two parents silently consented with each other, before Maddie nodded and gently lifted Danny to his uncle’s open arms.

Vlad brought the baby close to his chest and gasped as he took stock of just how much he was a perfect mixture of his parents. His eyes were blue just like Jack’s, but his tiny adorable smile demanded credit to Maddie. “Oh wow…he’s beautiful, you guys.”

Maddie thanked him, and then nudged Jack. Now was finally the time for him to ask the question he’d been waiting to all week. Perhaps it would even clear up his friend’s age-old grudge from college.

“Hey, Vlad!” Jack cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing Mads and I wanted to ask you. Well, we couldn’t be more happy that you’re the kids’ uncle now, but we were also wondering if maybe…you would also be Danny’s godfather?”

This pulled Vlad’s gaze away from Danny for the first time, and he completely froze in shock. “You…you what?” he nearly squeaked out, automatically backing into a chair against the wall to keep himself steady.

“We’d be honored if you said yes,” Maddie chimed in.

Anticipation settled in the room until his lips finally curled up into one of the most genuine grins of his life and he answered, “Of course. I’d loved to be his godfather.” He returned to watching Danny intently, who had balled part of Vlad’s sweater into a minuscule fist. “Hey Daniel,” he cooed with a laugh, despite the tears welling up his eyes. He tried his best to sniff them back inconspicuously.

Meanwhile, Jack was reaching into his duffel bag to pull out a disposable camera. He shuffled closer to his friend and began silently taking pictures of the two, to which Vlad paid no mind. His eyes sparkled as he caught Vlad smirking at a yawning Danny, who was falling fast asleep.

All was perfect in Jack’s world in that moment: he had the most amazing son and daughter now with Maddie, and, he was pretty sure it was safe to say, he had his best friend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this one ("Exuberance + Jack") was super fun and super cute to write. You gotta admit, if Vlad had been asked this question, half of all his problems would have gone away. He's a softie at heart.


	6. Change of Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for horror lab accident, body mutilation.*

Not much can be said about the Box Ghost in a positive light.

_Obnoxious_  is usually the first word that comes to mind. A  _grating_ voice and a “ _slap-your-forehead_ ” attitude are usually next on the list.  _Annoying_  and  _oblivious_  are definitely up there as well. But even though it’s usually working against whomever he’s facing, there is one thing about him that can’t be taken away.

He’s  _determined_.

And even though he’s never really thought about it that way, this is what drives his usually insignificant endeavors. Including today’s.

There is a scattering of birds and feathers as a blob of blue bursts into the air above the old abandoned warehouse along the docks of Amity Park. Somewhere below the metal roof, the Box Ghost’s cat must be going crazy over the unattainable winged prey. The Box Ghost himself can’t help but let out a frightful cackle in amusement as he begins to soar high over the town in stealthy invisibility.

He needs more bubblewrap to make some armrests for his cardboard throne, so he sets his course for the shipping supplies store. And if they’re out of the pop-able plastic, he should at least be able to get a good haunting in.

But suddenly, just about a hundred yards in front of him, he sees a streak of something. It’s too fast and too big to be a bird, and way too low to be a plane, but whatever it is, it’s practically dive-bombing the town and it makes a series of cars swerve violently out of the way. The Box Ghost growls frustratedly; it’s his job to terrorize those people! Time to show this blur who’s in charge.

Down he goes, floating in between the hyperactive businesses of Amity Park, the humans fresh off their lunch break. One day, he vows, they’ll all be kneeling in front of him, begging for mercy from his awesome wrath. But today is not that day.

Today, apparently, he’s going to teach someone a lesson. And that someone is…Phantom?  _Why would Phantom blatantly cause cars to crash?_  As much as the Box Ghost likes the change in demeanor, even he can tell something’s not right with the Ghost Kid.

Still invisible, he starts to race to catch up with Phantom’s tail, and pretty soon he can see the wisps of ghost sense trailing in the wind behind the kid’s head, meaning he’s aware of his presence. But wait…if he remembers correctly, weren’t those wisps supposed to be  _blue_ , not  _red_?

Eventually, the Box Ghost manages to grab the tail and yanks the both of them to a halt. Phantom screeches in surprise and turns back to glare.

Only it’s not Phantom looking back, at least not the Phantom he knows. It’s more like a Phantom 2.0. The suit’s still the same, albeit with two large green-stained rips that show some nasty scars just beginning to form on his chest, but now there’s a blue face with red eyes, fangs, and flaming white hair. And if it was even possible, he somehow seems lankier as well.

But the most different thing about him is the malice in his eyes, so strong that the Box Ghost envies it for a second. And in the next second, he’s being pummeled to the ground with a pink plasma blast that wracks his inner core.

New look or not, the Box Ghost can’t just let Phantom get away with that! He pushes off the ground into the air and continues the chase with a little more perseverance.

At some point he can’t remember when, after a tumultuous chase through the streets, he ends up phasing through the walls and floor of Fenton Works into the basement lab. The portal to the Ghost Zone stands firmly closed on the far wall, but before he can activate it open, Phantom notices that the Box Ghost hasn’t given up with his antics. He crosses his arms, annoyed.

“Very well,” comes a darker-than-usual voice, giving the effect of a rebellious teenager. Phantom’s not mincing words today. “You want a fight? Let’s fight.”

The Box Ghost is briefly taken aback by the bluntness, but then shrugs and charges forward with a swinging fist towards his opponent, a “Beware!” just barely getting off his lips. Phantom easily sidesteps the attack and grabs him by the wrist. He seems less clumsy and more in control of his strength now.

With a swift push, Phantom has the Box Ghost pinned smack against a wall, his right arm twisted behind his back. “Ow! Hey! Watch it! What’s…with you?” he whines.

“Oh, surely you must know,” Phantom hisses in his ear. “The accident?”

He stops struggling in his grip for a moment, perplexed. “What accident?”

“You really don’t know?” A condescending laugh echoes around the room. “Oh, this is grand! You know, I’m actually kind of glad you followed me here.”

“Why? So I can put you back in your place amongst us true ghosts?” the Box Ghost spits back.  _Whack!_  A boot somehow kicks the back of his head.

“Funny you should mention that…but quite the opposite actually. I’m glad you’re here because, indirectly, this is all kind of your fault. If it wasn’t for the existence of your daughter, I-”

“Daughter? I don’t have a daughter!” he interrupts, which earns him another whack on the head.  _Man, that kid can kick hard_ , he notes with a frown as his skull throbs from the impact against the wall.

Phantom continues, a little more aggression in his voice. “Shut up. Like I was saying, because of your  _vermin_  of a daughter, I lost  _everything_  and  _everyone_  that I loved, my entire life in fact. That’s right, you scum can’t call me a halfa anymore.”

The Box Ghost’s eyes shoot wide open. That explains a lot of things, but also poses more questions. How? Why? He looks back as far as he can to see a jarring smirk on the teenage face that sends chills up his spine.

“And so now, because you indirectly took away everything that was important to me, I’m going to indirectly-” The Box Ghost suddenly yelps as his wrist is twisted until it breaks. “-take something from you.”

His ears notice that those last few ominous words are displaced across the room, even though his wrist is still being held behind his back. He numbly glances across the room to see Phantom floating around a shelf of lab equipment. But, as the agonizing pain in his arm reminds him, Phantom’s still right behind him, still twisting his now-dangling wrist back and forth. That punk must have duplicated, which makes him fear for his afterlife.

The Phantom duplicate in the corner comes back with something shiny that the Box Ghost can’t fully see. He begins to squirm, panic overtaking his mind and mouth. “Wait! I’m sorry! I’m sorry for it all! Please!  _I’m sorry_!” he begs over and over.

“Oh, gee! That makes everything better!” the original Phantom mocks venomously. “Too bad you didn’t teach your kid the same manners.”

The Phantom holding him moves to the left, still keeping his grip on his left arm and yanking hard on his right so there’s space between it and his back.

Moving closer, the duplicate’s voice drips with bitter humor as he carefully states, “I’ve always wanted to say this…Box Ghost, BEWARE!”

And then whatever that shiny thing is roars to life. Chainsaw? Probably, but the Box Ghost couldn’t care less, because  _whatever-the-hell-it-is_  is currently tearing through the skin, muscle, and bone of his forearm, or the ecto-equivalent of them anyway. The tip of the blade even dips into his back, slicing a long gash right next to his spine.

Pure, intense torture overwhelms the Box Ghost, mixed with the still-ever-present pain from the broken wrist. And then, all of the sudden, it’s just the arm that hurts, and he continues to let out a piercing scream as he’s finally free and he sinks semi-consciously to the ground. His face lands in a puddle of goo, and he opens an eye to see green ectoplasm -  _his_ ectoplasm - an inch from his nose, the acidity of it seeping into his vision. And…

His hand. Oh, god. That’s his hand laying five feet away from him. He can clearly see ooze coming out of the cut end, slowly forming its own puddle. 

Weakly, the Box Ghost cranes his neck, almost hesitantly, to confirm the nightmare: his right arm is a quarter of the way gone, and his jagged skin is sagging without the rest of the limb to support it. It burns. It all just burns. He must be on actual fire.

He doesn’t know when the duplicate reabsorbed into the original, but a single Phantom now floats in front of the open portal, staring him into the ground.

“Have fun marrying the Lunch Lady,” Phantom snickers, then races into the swirling neon of the Ghost Zone.

The Box Ghost is too drained to process the sentence, and instead just rests his head back in his own ectoplasm, unable to take his eyes off of his dismembered hand.

So much for getting bubblewrap today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this prompt was "Persistence + the Box Ghost." It serves as a stand-alone sequel to "Better Left Unsaid," and hopefully is a good background fic for why the Box Ghost has a hook for a hand and an eyepatch in TUE.
> 
> P.S. Did you catch the mini-cameo mention of a certain fluffy green OC? ;)


	7. A Sufferin’ Spook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for suspense, death.*
> 
> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 1: Ghost Lights

Danny was fuming.

One weekend. One weekend was all Danny wanted to be able to take his new fiancée up to the mountains and share the wonders of the night sky with her.

And normally Sam was always game to join him, and sometimes even planned the trip herself, but ever since he had proposed to her last month, it seemed like all she did now was complain.

Granted, it wasn’t really Sam’s fault though. When news of the impending nuptials got out, Sam’s mother had barely let her have one moment of peace as wedding plans got into full swing practically overnight.  _Well, more like wedding wars_ , Danny thought ruefully.

All weekend long, all he heard about was how Mrs. Manson was driving Sam up a wall by insisting on pretty much everything she was known to despise: frilly doilies, sunflowers everywhere, and  _the color pink_. On top of that, the rest of Sam’s schedule was filled with her job and volunteer work, both of which only seemed to be getting busier as more opportunities arose for her in each. Sam was overwhelmed, and Danny’s surprise camping trip only seemed to be a platform for her to unload all that stress onto.

Sam’s voice finally broke the silence that had been stewing in Danny’s jeep for the past twenty minutes. “I just still don’t understand how  _she_  doesn’t understand that it’s  _our_  wedding! And also how that it’s been 24 years that I’ve been on this planet and she  _still_  can’t get it through her skull that I HATE pink!”

Danny gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter and answered through gritted teeth, “I don’t  _know_. Perhaps you’re right about your theory of being adopted, because honestly, I don’t know how else to answer anymore.”

“Huh?” she questioned, sparing him a lingering glance from her view out the window of the dark horizon.

Something seemed to snap in him all of the sudden. “Well, I’ve answered the same questions over and over with all the responses I can possibly think of this weekend, and yet all you continue to do is complain like you don’t even hear me! What do you want me to say, Sam? Huh? Do you want me to call Clockwork up and have him send us back to Friday so we can get married in a courthouse and then come up here to watch the Orionids as our honeymoon so this whole wedding nightmare can be over and done with?”

Sam wasted no time in retaliating. “Oh? So is that what this is to you? Our wedding, our  _marriage_ , is a nightmare?”

“No, Sam! Jeez, don’t you hear yourself?!” Danny sighed, exasperated. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just ti-”

Both Danny and Sam jolted forward against their seat-belts as he slammed on the brakes of his jeep suddenly, swerving slightly to the right. Instinctively, his arm reached out to grab Sam’s shoulder, but as the initial shock settled and they both seemed to be unharmed, she coldly shrugged it off and instead focused on whatever-the-hell had just happened. Danny’s hard-set frown didn’t slip past her, and she filed it away for later.

They both quickly unbuckled and scrambled out into the humid mountain air to inspect the area in front of the car’s headlights.

“Whoa…” Danny uttered in sheer amazement.

Plowed into the edge of the road and still smoking from its trip through the atmosphere was a meteorite about the size of a mini-fridge. It was roughly spherical, and had a rusty metallic gleam along its edges.

“I…I think it’s an Orionid,” Sam speculated, peering around it from safe distance.

“Huh,” Danny grunted. “I’m surprised you know that, considering you barely looked up at the  _meteor shower_  of them this weekend.”

Her glare made him noticeably flinch. “Really, Danny?  _Now_?”

He decided to shake it off and center his focus completely on the Orionid itself, and in an instant his childlike fervor for space took over. “Uh… Man! This is so insanely awesome though! This has traveled through space for who knows how long! And we found it!”

“Lucky we didn’t get killed by it.”

“Well, we  _didn’t_. So now, we can enjoy it! C’mon, let’s get some pictures while it’s still smoking!” Danny took out his phone and started snapping away, moving in closer to it for better shots.

Sam still seemed to be wary. “Just don’t get too close. Aren’t these things radioactive?”

He scoffed as he kneeled in front of the rock and aimed the camera at himself and it. Click. “Says the person who has spent years fighting battles in a semi-toxic other-worldly dimension with ecto-charged weapons from my parents’ lab. Not to mention, dating someone who’s half-ectoplasm himself. Personally, I’d be more concerned about my parents’ equipment, but that’s just me.”

“But this is from  _space_!”

“Which is  _aw_ \- Watch out!”

The meteorite began to quake and glow a pure white, and then flashed brilliantly. Floating above the rock now was a small neon-green fireball, eerily licking the air with its crackling flame.

Sam lowered her arms from their defensive stance and gasped. “Wow! It looks like one of those little ember things from  _Paper Mario_ , doesn’t it? Danny?”

She looked over to him to see him staring intensely at the light. “Danny?”

“I have to touch it,” he spoke unconsciously, and reached a hand out towards it. 

Sam began to run over to him to stop him, but retracted as the flame danced over to the shoulder of the road, the dusty ground being lit up underneath. Beyond it, past the clearing, Sam could barely see the edges of the singular row of pine trees that gave way to the valley far below in the scarce moonlight.

Like a puppy, Danny started to obediently follow it, walking at a brisk pace. The fireball did a good job in ensuring that a ten-foot distance was kept between them at all times, so it was just out of his reach.

Sam was baffled. “Danny? What are you doing?” He ignored her. “Danny!”

Running up next to him and assuming the same pace, she waved her hand in front of his eyes and kept shouting his name at him. He didn’t so much as blink, only continued to trudge forward like a mindless zombie.

She stopped and put her hands on her hips furiously, watching the back of his head pass by. This was getting freaky and creepy really fast, and looking back at her life, that was saying something. She yelled, “Okay, Danny, if you’re getting back at me for all my complaining this weekend, you got me. I’m sorry for ruining it. You win.” Still nothing.

Now it was  _really_ freaky. Sam could see the fireball bobbing along behind Danny’s silhouette like a beacon of death. She shivered violently from the ghastly vibes she was getting. But there was one more thing she needed to try before she panicked. Heart thumping on adrenaline, she picked up a nearby stick and sprinted towards them, charging at the extraterrestrial light with the hope of forcing it to dissipate somehow.

But as she passed Danny, the light seemed to recede faster, just out of reach of  _her_ , causing Danny to stumble after it in an attempt to keep up. Sam immediately stopped; that was  _not_  the desired effect she was going for. At least the light had resumed its tauntingly slower speed. In one last-ditch effort to remove the source of the problem, she threw the stick at it like a spear, but narrowly missed.

Panic rose inside her chest. What was going on? Danny seemed almost…hypnotized. But why wasn’t she? Unless…

“It’s his ghost half.” Sam tossed the phrase around a few times, letting the gears click into place. Something in his core was attracted to the flame. It was probably the ectoplasmic side of it, since the ice core was specific to only a few entities. But green, gooey ectoplasm was abundant in the solar system and seemed to fit right up the alley of a neon space fireball.

She began to chase after him again, shouting at his back, “Danny, don’t! It’s Phantom going after it! You can control it – I know you can!”

Finally she caught up to him and grabbed at his shoulders, digging her heels uselessly into the ground. “Come on! You’re stronger than this. YOU control your core, not the other way around!”

Getting more desperate, Sam grasped Danny’s hood and yanked down hard, making him sail down backwards and land flat on his back. “Sorry,” she whispered as she watched him fall.

The flame stalled idly as Danny simply pushed himself off the ground and carried on forward, seemingly unharmed.

Sam jumped in front of him, trying to keep her balance while walking backwards and simultaneously pushing forward to stop him.

“Please, Danny,” she begged. “Please snap out of it! You’re scaring me!”

She forcefully leaned her head and torso into his chest. Even over her tired breaths, she could hear his heartbeat pumping excessively quick, and yet externally, he seemed physically relaxed. That flame was doing something even worse than she had imagined, and not knowing what it was frightened her even more.

“ _Come…on…_ just listen…to my voice!” Sam strained. It was useless.

Suddenly, her wrists were violently grabbed and she felt her head leave the front of his jacket. She was jerked to look up directly at Danny, and she found herself shrinking away in fear.

Danny’s eyes were fully green, and Phantom’s determined spirit was shining viciously through on his face. 

“I  _have_  to touch it,” he growled out, and then shoved Sam to the ground behind him. That determined,  _stubborn_  spirit continued to march him towards the light, still completely entranced.

Sam rolled over in the dust onto her stomach and, a second too late, finally realized where exactly the fireball had been luring him to. The clearing they had just crossed was over a hundred feet from the road to the thin line of trees Danny was currently in between. But just beyond that was the valley that stood at the base of the mountainside.

“Danny,  _no_!” she screamed out desperately, tears already swelling in her eyes.

But before she could even stand up, Danny had already stepped over the edge of the cliff.

The fireball winked out, and Sam was swallowed up by darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Ectober! :D
> 
> Being the space geek that I am, I decided to take on the theory of some ghost lights being caused by meteors (apparently, some also connect them with UFOs, so that’s cool, too).


	8. Surprise in Stroll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 2: Possession

At 3:17 a.m., Sam’s eyes shot wide open. All that was in her field of vision was her black ceiling, or at least she assumed it to be. Her mind felt groggy and clouded from her interrupted sleep.

The comfort of her warm blankets slipped away from her legs and she rose up…into the air? All of the sudden, her body was phasing through the ceiling and in an instant the chilly wind of the night sky was crawling over her skin.

Over the town she soared, the moonlight basking her skin with a supernatural glow and the neon in her eyes completing the aura.

Sam could see everything around her, the park, the Nasty Burger – but none of it was processing in her brain. Her mind was blank.

Even so, her physical being seemed to be at peace, almost fully relaxed, as if she was still sleeping. For a few moments she drifted lazily, her body seemingly controlling itself and turning up to observe the stars twinkling through the atmosphere.

And in a split second the serenity was shattered with a  _zap_! Something grazed her elbow, and Sam flipped back over to look down below. Two Guys in White agents were focusing their ecto-guns at her, stationed behind their night-patrolling SUV.

There was some mumbling between them, and then the leader of the two shouted up at her, “Get down here now, ghost girl!”

The other man chimed in after him. “Surrender easily, or we will dissect you beyond repair!”

They began to blast away at her again without giving her a chance to react. Sam’s hand reached out in front of her, and two quick ecto-rays lashed out to disarm the two men. They glared up at her, holding their wrists.

“See ya later, Agent Dork and Agent Baldie!” Sam’s voice called out to them.

As she flew off, the adrenaline of being shot at woke up a tiny part of Sam’s brain, and awareness began to seep in. Something or someone, obviously, was controlling her. But she was still too clouded over to discern who it was. The only thing she could do was attempt to will it out of her mind before it harmed her.

“Get…out…of me,” Sam whispered in the back of her throat.

But whatever was possessing her was too strong. She struggled against its force uselessly, and eventually had to give up as her senses left her again.

Her direction shifted towards the forest on the outskirts of Amity Park, and she began to dive-bomb the trees. She dodged branch after branch, yet still picked up minuscule scratches on her arms and legs.

Within minutes she was on the outer edge of the woods, at the base of the surrounding mountains. A huge slab of rock stared at her, and she zoomed straight up parallel to it. If she had been conscious, worry would have washed over her at the uncertainty of what she was doing so high up.

That is, until the Amity Park observatory came into view.

With a soft landing on the concrete, Sam, still possessed, made her way to the center of the dark observation deck and stood acutely still.

In a sudden burst of stimuli, strings of lights lining the telescope’s dome and the railing turned on, and a collection of candles at her feet sparked with purple flames. From an unknown source came a wave of soft music.

And in the midst of it all, Danny walked out of a dark corner towards her. He was dressed in a tuxedo, and his hands were clasped behind his back like a gentleman.

He stopped a few feet in front of her and kneeled down on one knee. Carefully, he took her left hand and slid a ring on her finger, and held onto it with his right hand.

With his other, he snapped his fingers, and a Phantom duplicate tore itself away from Sam’s body, reabsorbing into his own. Sam shook her head clear and took in the scene her conscience had been thrown into.

She looked down at Danny, who smiled charmingly back up at her and winked.

Finally he asked, “Sam, will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted to do something really dark and disturbing, but this idea just wouldn’t go away. Forgive me, Bill Cipher. I guess this could also be considered a prequel to yesterday’s horror?


	9. Ghost Peppered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 3: Costumes

Sam felt a cold hand snake behind her ear to cup her right cheek as a pair of soft lips pecked her left one. “Hey, guys!” she heard the lips’ voice say, and soon Danny was sitting next to her at their usual table.

Tucker barely swallowed a bite of burger before he spoke. “Dude, where’ve you been? Lunch is already half over.”

“Eh, that stupid chemistry test took forever. But I guess I should be glad Mr. Collins let me stay past the bell, because I actually studied for this one.” Danny crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward, the pressure of the test leaving his shoulders.

“But…?” Sam prodded.

His innocent face gave way to a sheepish look of guilt. “But…I ended up falling asleep on my textbook around three a.m.”

“There it is.” she pointed out, picking her fork back up. “But hey, aren’t you gonna get something to eat?”

“Nah. I checked the cafeteria and there wasn’t much left. Just some weird coleslaw thing.” He shrugged indifferently.

“Well, want a bite of my salad? Picked it myself fresh this morning.”

Danny gave another shrug and said, “Sure.” As he took the offered forkful of lettuce and veggies he could hear Tucker mutter, “Meat traitor” under his breath.

After a few deliberate chews, Danny suddenly began to cough and spat out the mouthful of salad all over the table in front of him. “WATER!” he shouted and without waiting he instinctively grabbed Sam’s bottle of lemonade, desperately chugging it all down.

“Dude, you okay?” Tucker asked, watching his friend’s face turn all red and sweaty.

A minute passed and Danny gasped for breath as he finally answered, “No! Sam….what…is in…your salad?”

Sam looked down into her container and started listing things off. “Lettuce, tomatoes…squash, shredded carrot, ghost peppers, pe-”

“Ghost peppers?!” Danny’s eyes glowed in shock. It felt like he was in a sauna, and yet Sam had been coolly munching on her lunch like it was ice cream. “Why in the world are there ghost peppers in your salad?!”

“Because I like to spice things up,” she stated, taking her fork back. “Guess I have the tongue for them.”

The boys stared at her like she was insane. Danny waved cool air at his mouth and shuddered at the aftertaste before saying, “Yuck. Man, peppers of any kind are terrible, but I feel like I just experienced what Vlad’s plasma blast would be like if it was flame-grilled at 10,000 degrees and had an actual taste. Yet another reason to hate peppers.”

“Oh, come on. You’re overreacting,” Sam told him.

Tucker pushed his tray of fries towards Danny. “Here, dude. At least eat these.”

He picked a few up and stuffed them into his mouth hungrily. “Thanks.”

“No problemo. I find it funny though you don’t like ghost peppers, considering you’re half-ghost yourself.”

“Ha ha! Yeah! It’s like you hate your own kind,” Sam laughed and nudged at Danny, who looked miffed at his two friends.

Sipping at his soda, Tucker added, “Ooh! You know what you should do? Dress up like a ghost pepper for Halloween!”

Danny froze mid-reach for a fry and glared at Tucker, mortified. “No.”

Sam’s face seemed to light up like the sun, and she shook with excitement. “Yes! You gotta do it now! It’s too great to pass up! Think-” She dropped her fork and spread her hands wondrously out in front of her face. “-Danny Phantom: Ghost Pepper.”

Danny adamantly shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not happening.”

“Oh, it’s  _so_ happening,” Sam insisted, and smiled mischievously with Tucker at Danny, who slumped in his seat.

* * *

Two weeks later, it happened. Danny turned around from Sam’s bedroom mirror to begrudgingly face her and Tucker.

“Okay, this is even better than I expected,” Sam announced, taking pictures of him with her phone.

Danny was in a reddish-orange ghost pepper costume with a thin green stem jutting out from the top, specially ordered courtesy of Sam’s connections. His face stuck out of a hole cut to just cover his ears, and his arms, legs, and feet were in orange sleeves, pants, and shoes.

“I look and feel ridiculous,” he grumbled uncomfortably.

Sam sat up on her bed and folded her legs under herself. “Aw, come on,” she began, suppressing a giggle. “I still think you look… _hot_.”

Danny groaned into the air. “You did not just say that.”

“Oh, but she did.” Tucker was spinning around lazily sitting backwards in Sam’s desk chair, tapping eagerly at his PDA. “But hey! We need to leave soon if we wanna have enough time to trick-or-treat before the party. I am  _not_  going to go candy-less for two years in a row.” He would forever hold a personal grudge against the Fright Night for melting his haul of sweets last year.

“Ugh. Alright then, let’s go get the humiliation over with.” Danny started to gather his necessary ghost- and candy-hunting supplies for the night, but was stopped by Sam’s voice.

“Wait!”

“What now?”

“There’s  _one_  more thing you need to do,” Sam teased, sharing a knowing smile with Tucker. “If you’re going to be a true ghost pepper tonight, you gotta go as Phantom and lose the legs.”

“Yeah, dude. Get that ghostly tail in that pepper,“ Tucker added with a smirk.

Danny assumed a grumpy frown. “I hope you guys know that that’ll look extremely suspicious, a floating pepper.”

“But it’ll be hilariously  _perfect_. You’ll be putting the ‘ghost’ in ‘ghost pepper.’ You can’t pass that up!” he coaxed, leaning forward on the back of the chair. “I’m surprised you’re not loving this. You love puns!”

“Not when I  _am_  the pun!”

There was a few seconds of silence as the standoff came to a head. Danny crossed his arms, trying to hold onto the last shred of his argument. “I’m not gonna do it.”

Sam sighed, standing up to explain, “Look, as long as you stay as Danny Phantom while trick-or-treating, everything should be fine. It’ll be fun! And then, when we get to the party, you can have your legs back.” She grinned, chuckling over the mental images she was getting.

Eventually Danny’s shoulders drooped in resignation. “Alright…”

His costume flashed, casting bizarre shadows over the room. Now the tuft of hair sticking out from the costume was white, and his eyes flickered green. In an instant he popped his legs into a wispy tail and phased it through into the end of the pepper costume.

Sam and Tucker took in the floating fruit and smiled victoriously, pleased with the results. Sharing a fist bump with her, Tucker declared, ”We’re geniuses.”

* * *

Around 9 p.m., the trio arrived at their classmate’s party, Danny having just transformed back into Fenton around the corner after a fun, successful evening of trick-or-treating. Tucker was still in immense awe over the amount of candy he had amassed.

Inside, the house was rocking with zombies, cats, and various fantasy character costumes, among others. It seemed like everybody from Casper High was there, the place was so huge. Danny, Sam, and Tucker dived into the crowd, revealing in it all.

At one point, Danny found himself at the snack table, restocking his plate with gummy bears and popcorn for the third time that night.

“Danny?” a voice shouted next to him over the music.

He turned to his left to see Wes Weston, a lanky basketball player from a few of his classes that supposedly wanted to prove Danny Fenton and Phantom were one of the same. Fortunately, no one took him seriously, no matter how much evidence he had.

“I didn’t recognize you in that costume,” Wes began, looking it up and down as he ate from his own plate of popcorn. “What are you supposed to be?”

For the first time that night, Danny was genuinely happy about his forced choice of costume. Staring Wes dead serious in the eye, he casually replied, “Oh, you know, a  _ghost_  pepper.”

With a devilish smirk, Danny took his plate of food and innocently strolled away, leaving a wide-eyed Wes to recover from gagging on his popcorn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so excited for this day for so long, mainly because I've been stewing on the ghost pepper idea and now you guys all get to enjoy it!


	10. Gravity Rocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 4: Urban Legends

“You guys ready?” Danny called out to the passengers in his jeep.

“Yep!” Sam answered from the back seat, her finger set to press play on her iPod connected to the car.

Tucker was in the front passenger spot, serving as navigator. “You bet!”

“Good. Aliens here we come!” Revving the jeep up, he began to dance in his seat to Sam’s tunes pouring out of the speakers and backed out of the Fenton Works’ driveway, heading west.

All through the summer and the first quarter of their senior year of high school, the trio had gotten the idea to do a last big hurrah before they graduated in the form of a road trip by themselves. All they had needed was a long weekend off and a purpose for going, which Danny found one day in the form of a story going around.

The three of them had been eating lunch at the Nasty Burger when Danny got up to refill his soda. When he sat back down, he was excitedly bouncing up and down about how he had overheard someone talking about some UFO sightings in the Pacific northwest. He checked on his phone and apparently, one of the sightings had been photographed, albeit on a low-res camera phone as a spur-of-the-moment reaction.

But that got Danny thinking: the three of them could totally get a better picture. Outside of all things related to ghost hunting, he was a huge believer in aliens – after all, there was no way Earth could be the only inhabited world in the universe. It just seemed so improbable. But he especially had a desire to find proof of aliens and UFOs visiting Earth. Plus, it provided an excellent opportunity for their road trip, which, at the very least, could be an epic camping trip.

So with a couple of carefully well-crafted cover-up stories for their parents and the jeep loaded with various supplies and Danny’s telescope, they headed to central Oregon, which was where some of the sightings had been reported to be. Sam had a relative in the area who had agreed to let them use his barn as a place to set up their equipment for their stakeout.

When they got to the barn, they were pleasantly surprised to find that it had a loft that had all of the basic amenities. Apparently, Sam’s relative’s nephew came up to help him on the farm every summer, so he had fancied up the space years ago.

The barn itself was situated along the edge of a vast field, which provided an incredibly wide-open view of the night sky – perfect for alien hunting (and stargazing, much to Danny’s joy). Right outside the barn doors was a massive stack of hay bales. The trio decided to set up their telescope and cameras on it, since it provided an even better vantage point over the field’s surrounding forests.

The first night of alien spotting was rather uneventful, although Danny had fun taking more than “just a peek” at Saturn and Jupiter without the usual light pollution of Amity Park.

The next day yielded similar results, but the three still had high hopes going into the second night for a sighting.

Danny was at the edge of the hay bale stack, staring up eagerly into the Milky Way. “Come on, aliens,” he whispered to himself. “I  _know_  you’re out there. No way we’re alone.”

At some point, Tucker nudged him, handing him a warm cup of cider. It felt good in his hands, especially against the chilly fall temperatures. But it did nothing to reverse that gnawing feeling growing in his stomach.

“See anything yet, dude?” Tucker prodded gently.

“No…” he admitted, glumly staring at the stars. “Am I just being ridic- Whoa! GUYS LOOK!”

Tucker and Sam, who had been keeping lookout in the opposite direction, whipped their heads up to where Danny was pointing.

Hanging relatively low in the sky just off of the edge of the forest was a dark orb-like shadow that blotted out the stars behind it as it moved slowly forward in the sky. Its entire bottom base glowed a brilliant spooky purple, which pulsed rhythmically with every passing second.

“Holy smokes! That must be it!” Danny began scrambling for one of the cameras and clicked away.

Tucker seemed more doubtful, and a little unnerved. “Are you sure? It could be a helicopter.”

Danny barely gave him a second-long incredulous look. “Aside from the fact that it has a non-flashing  _purple_  light, do you  _hear_  a helicopter?”

“No…” Tucker scuffed his sneaker at the hay.

“Good. Man oh man, this is so cool! It fits the other descriptions perfectly! We got our UFO, guys!” Danny nearly squealed with excitement as he switched over to looking in his telescope at it.

Sam quickly took his place at the camera. “Danny, this is awesome and all, but didn’t you want proof of the aliens themselves?”  
  
“Right! Uh…here! Give me that!” he said as he took the camera off the tripod, then transformed into Phantom. “I’ll just take a quick peek inside! It looks low enough to reach easily. I know I’ve flown higher than that.”

“Wait, what?” she asked, alarmed. “Danny, that’s extremely dangerous! That thing’s huge, and we have no idea what’s in there! There’s probably nothing even remotely close to it on Earth!”

Danny quickly fished into his backpack nearby for walkie-talkies, handing one to Sam. “Which is all the more reason to get a picture. Besides, I’ll be invisible!” He jumped into the air so he was floating above them. “Okay, we’re good, yes? I’ll be right back.”

Without a chance to let his friends respond, Danny turned invisible and flew towards the UFO.

Up close, the machine was unbelievably massive and astronomically magnificent. Danny quickly snapped a few pictures of the black metallic surface, then spoke into his walkie-talkie, “You guys aren’t gonna believe these pics. This thing is larger than a football field from above!”

Sam’s fuzzy voice came back. “Just b- _zzz-_ areful- _zzz_.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. “Thanks, mom. I’m muting you guys now and going in.” He twisted the volume dial until it reached zero.

“Alright, Danny. Alien time.” He breathed to steady himself and got the camera ready.

He floated down to the spacecraft’s shell and cautiously laid down, senses on high alert for any triggered alarms. Fortunately none came, which gave him the clearance to swing his invisible torso forward inside.

Danny barely had time to register anything he saw in the hull, though. The chemicals in the air differed highly from those in Earth’s atmosphere, and he unintentionally fell through into the ship and turned visible as he choked and coughed on the toxins.

The room was circular and had advanced high-tech control panels lining every wall, including a bank of screens that provided footage from the outside. Danny even got his wish of seeing the aliens, which were indescribable masses of levitating squishy rocks with terrifyingly bizarre faces.

Unfortunately the first and last thing he saw the aliens do was direct a futuristic pointed weapon towards his face and press a button that zapped him dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you _know_ Danny would believe in aliens.


	11. Trick-and-Treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 5: Candy + Séance

“You sure this is a good idea?”

“Positive. Any second now, I’ll get a call.”

“Good, ‘cause I need some sweets, stat.”

Sam, Danny, and Tucker were lounging around Danny’s room, waiting for  _anything_  to happen already. Danny, in particular, was leaning against his dresser as Phantom, an empty pillowcase gripped tightly in his fist as he crossed his arms. There was about eight minutes left to 10 p.m., but he was already getting antsy.

"How do you even know you’ll be the one summoned?” Sam asked, checking her watch for herself.

“I dunno,” Danny answered, shrugging. “Maybe it’s because I live out here and not in the Ghost Zone, so I’m a closer reach? Last year, it happened like nine-”

“Danny?” Tucker called out to the empty spot where his friend had just been. Silence, then he smiled over at Sam. “It worked!”

“Yeah, but for how l-” Just then, Danny popped back, panting and wide-eyed. Sam and Tucker raised questioning eyebrows at him.

“Didn’t…count,” he explained, straightening his posture. “It was a…cult one. Knives, candles, and probably a sacrificed animal somewhere in that room. But don’t worry; I got out of there quick.”

“Ugh!” Tucker drawled out, throwing his hands up. “Where are all the teens using ouija boards after trick-or-treating for fun?”

“Just give it a second.” The group continued to wait, until Danny randomly and suddenly disappeared.

This time, he was gone for about a minute, and when he came back, he heroically held up the pillowcase, which sagged slightly with the weight of a few handfuls of candy.

“You guys should’ve seen this one. It was a bunch of little kids who recognized me as Phantom, and when I said, ‘Trick or treat,” they all just lined up with their little jack-o’-lantern buckets and were like, ‘Here you go, Phantom!’ They weren’t scared or anything, but it was pretty adorable. I even signed an autograph!”

“Well, at least you made the scam worth their while,” Sam chipped in.

“Yeah, yeah. Now  _candy_ , ghost boy! Fork it- Damn it!” Tucker cursed as Danny vanished again. “At least let me get started on a Tootsie Pop!”

This time when Danny came back, Tucker quickly grabbed the pillowcase from his hand and dumped its contents out on his bed, then handed it back to him. He then instantly pounced on a fun-sized bag of Skittles, his mouth twisting in relief and pleasure as he finally got to eat some candy.

“Good news: the plan went perfectly this time,” Danny shared. The plan in question was for Danny to be summoned by someone’s supernatural call, ask for candy like a normal trick-or-treater, and if refused, jokingly vow revenge and begin, if needed, to haunt the person and their séance until the goods were handed over. And by “perfectly,” Danny meant he had to haunt them.

After all, what else were they supposed to do for trick-or-treating when it was raining outside and one of them was an in-demand half-ghost?

Danny took one of the tiny Kit-Kat bars off the bed and scarfed it down, trying to stay ready to be summoned. Going back to the dresser, he rolled his neck, then remembered a moment from earlier that day. “Oh! Guys! I totally forgot to tell you what Vlad did! He sent a three-gallon jar filled with gummy bears to my mom this morning.”

“Yep. That sounds like something creepy ol’ Vlad would do,” Sam remarked.

“Tell me about,” he agreed, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s one creepy thing that he knows gummy bears are her favorite candy But to write a card with, ‘These gummy bears are spook-tacularly sweet, just like you’ is beyond gag-worthy.”

Everyone seemed to shudder all at once over the story.

Sometime during the silence that followed, Danny once again dissolved into thin air.

“Hey, Tuck. We should totally hide before he gets back,” Sam smirked.

Tucker agreed, and the two hid themselves, Sam in the closet and Tucker behind Danny’s desk, and waited.

When Danny got back, he blinked in surprise at his empty room. “Sam? Tucker?” he called out cautiously. “Where’d you guys-” Summoned again.

“Alright, come back out, Tucker, and let’s just act natural.”

This time when Danny returned, he found his friends casually sitting around, just like before. “But…I-How…you guys were just gone!”

Tucker gave him the most serious glance he could muster. “Huh? Dude, what are you talking about? Did ya get a good haul of candy again?”

“Yeah, and Danny, where do you keep your scary movies? I figured we could watch one while you’re popping back and forth,” Sam questioned, looking innocently around his room for his DVDs.

Danny was at a loss for words. All the teleportation must have been getting to him. Still wary, he pointed across his room and said, “They’re on my bookshelf.”

“Thanks, Danny!” she answered, and shared the quickest of mischievous grins with Tucker as she got up to peruse the movies.

For the next twenty minutes, the process continued, with Danny going back and forth while sneaking in peeks of the movie Sam and Tucker had picked and were watching on his computer. The candy pile on the bed had gotten to a respectable level, although their hungry hands wouldn’t let that stand for very long. At some point, though, he got a brilliant idea, and decided to make it known to his friends.

“Hey, do one of you guys actually want to come with me on a trip?”

Tucker instantly perked up. “YES!”

Danny laughed and threw his empty Reese’s cup wrapper away, taking a moment to think how he would do this. “Alright, cool! Um…okay, here. Hang on to my wrist. I’ll keep you invisible until I can check to make sure the crowd is safe, and if I shake my wrist like this-” He demonstrated the movement. “-let go and you’ll turn visible. Otherwise, just hang on and we’ll go from there.”

Tucker got up and did as he was told, Danny turning him invisible, and within the minute they were summoned to a candle-lit room in the middle of a circle of teenagers holding hands with their eyes closed.

Danny seemed to find them okay, and shook his wrist quickly so that Tucker could turn visible before they opened their eyes. “Hello,” he bellowed, alerting the room of their presence.

“Whoa! It worked!” a guy to Danny’s right shouted, and the eerie dark mood in the room seemed to evaporate. These people were clearly just messing around.

“Hey, guys!” Danny greeted. “I’m Danny Phantom, and this is my friend…Tuckerino!” There was no reason to let them know who he actually was.

“Hi!” Tucker gave a small wave, then shoved his hands in his pockets. For some odd reason the spotlight of attention from the group was not what he expected, and he turned to Danny for direction.

Danny himself simply held out the pillowcase and chanted, “Trick or treat!”

The teens all looked confusedly at each other, before one of them shrugged and got up, walking out of the room. He came back momentarily with a big tub of licorice. “Sorry, Phantom. All the…normal trick-or-treaters already cleaned us out, but I found this! Will this work?”

Tucker saw Danny trying desperately to suppress a grin as he continued to speak in his deep heroic voice, ”That’ll satisfy my spirit very well. Thank you!”

The boy stuffed the tub into the waiting pillowcase, and Danny and Tucker waved to them all, before finally teleporting back to Amity Park.

Meanwhile, back in Danny’s room, Sam was still watching the movie when she heard a knock on the door and saw it open to reveal Jazz, who looked very surprised to only see the goth in the room.

“Sam? Where’s Danny?” she asked.

Sam wasn’t sure whether to tell the truth. “Oh, he just…popped out for some fresh air.”

“But it’s raining.”

“Right…that’s why he’s doing it intangibly!”

Jazz stared suspiciously at Sam, until Danny and Tucker all of the sudden appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. Danny was holding Tucker’s wrist in one hand, a lumpy pillowcase in the other.

There were a few awkward seconds of silence as they spotted Danny’s sister aiming her suspicion towards them. Eventually, Jazz just backed out of the room, uttering, “Never mind. I don’t wanna know.”

Once the door clicked shut, Danny let out a breath, remarking, “That was weird.”

“Whatever, man. Sam, check out what we got!” Tucker reached into the pillowcase and pulled out the licorice, raising it victoriously above his head.

“Nice! Open it up!” she replied, sitting up more eagerly in Danny’s desk chair.

Danny smiled as Tucker got the cap off the tub in record time, and turned to her. “Sam, do you want to come with me once?”

She shrugged her shoulders and stood up to walk over to him. “Sure!”

“Let’s see you beat getting this bad boy,” Tucker challenged, patting the tab of licorice smugly.

“Oh, you’re on, Red Vines!” Sam taunted. She grabbed onto Danny’s wrist just like Tucker had, and almost instantly they found themselves in a nearly pitch-black room, the only light coming from a streetlamp out the window.

Defensively, Danny turned himself invisible as well and called out, “Uh…lights?”

There was a shuffling of feet as someone got up to flick on the light switch, and Sam felt Danny’s arm stiffen immediately.

All around them were a bunch of jocks dressed as zombie football players, and sitting in front of the ouija board that had summoned them was none other than Dash Baxter. Internally, Sam’s first thought was,  _Man, we sure didn’t go too far_.

Danny carefully turned visible, and briefly shook his head while staring at the still-invisible Sam. His eyes communicated, “ _Don’t. Let. Go._ ”

“Hey! It’s Danny Phantom!” Dash announced excitedly, and a rumble of cheers spread throughout the room. “Dude, you’re awesome!”

The lighter atmosphere eased up Danny’s tension a little bit, and a plan began to formulate in his head. “Thank you, but flattery will get you nowhere with me!” he bellowed in his authoritative voice again.

Dash looked perplexed, and his advance softened a bit. “Uh…okay. Well, why are you here?”

Danny mentally slapped himself. “I’m here because you summoned me, and I was in the middle of a very important battle!” Hushed exclamations of regret began circulating the room. “Now, to appease my angry spirit,  _all_ of you must give my all your candy!”

Sam nearly gave herself away as she laughed silently to herself. This was going to be epic. To give Danny more mobility, she grabbed onto his belt, then let go of his wrist. Danny seemed to have registered the change with a microscopic nod of the head.

“But-we…” Dash began to stutter.

“Or I will haunt your house  _forever_!” To demonstrate, Danny let his eyes glow full green, turned his legs into his ghostly tail, and, somehow, made the blue light of his ice core shine brightly out of his wide-open mouth as he let out some terrifying shrieks. Sam even shivered as the room turned icy cold from his aura.

The image Danny had created seemed to work like a charm, as the entire football team cowered beneath him.

“Okay! We’ll give you our candy, Mr. Phantom!” Dash finally relented, as he and the others got up to get their candy.

Danny instantly calmed down and smirked as the jocks lined up to dump their sweets in his pillowcase. Eventually, he had to make the impression of tying it to his belt as Sam gripped onto it for extra support, while Dash fetched some spare grocery paper bags and the boys filled up those. In the end, Danny was holding three paper bags of candy and Sam had her grasp on the one pillowcase.

“Yes, this will do nicely,” Danny cackled. “You have been spared, Dash Baxter!”

“Wow! Cool! Danny Phantom knows my name!”

Danny simply rolled his eyes and in a snap he and Sam were back home.

“Did you guys even get any- Holy crap!” Tucker nearly fell off his chair as he eyed the haul they were carrying. He nearly cried from both pure joy and defeat as Danny placed the bags on the bed for him to inspect.

“Thank Dash,” Danny informed, standing back to admire his accomplishment. “Not only did we get all this, but I pretty much had the entire football team at my mercy. It’s just too bad we weren’t recording it.”

“Dude, that’s incredible!” Tucker said in awe.

“As is the fact that I won,” Sam added triumphantly.

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, I think we’re good on candy now. Anyone up for a  _Ghostbusters_  marathon while we try to put a dent in this mountain?” he asked.

“Sounds perfect!” Danny answered with a smile, changing back into Fenton.

They all gathered around his computer and started the movies, each with a pile of sweets on their lap and the most satisfied looks on their faces.

Thank goodness it had rained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out longer than expected. Oh well. Still super fun! And I even did both themes!
> 
> I want to ask you guys: what' your favorite candy? Mine's gummy bears. :)


	12. Mischief Bites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 6: Mischief Night

Dash almost never got mortified.

The rare occasions were during the one or two major high-stakes football games when he saw his pass slip through the fingers of his receiver as time expired on the clock. But other than that, he was a pretty confident guy.

So when that  _wimp_ , Danny Fenton, publicly humiliated Dash by telling someone that he watches rom-coms, and that information spread through the school like wildfire, he had to do  _something_.

How Fenton even knew that was beyond him, but now the expectations were set for Dash: he had to get him back to restore his honor. Already his teammates were making kissy-faces at him whenever he walked by. Fenton was a dead man, and Dash knew the perfect way to get him back.

For the past few years, Dash had gained a reputation amongst the teens of Amity Park for being one of the best pranksters on the town’s annual Mischief Night. Just last year, he’d manage to put ten parakeets in Lancer’s car  _and_  smash pumpkins onto the ground from the top of Casper High’s main building.

This year, though…oh boy. He was going to pull out all the stops and do as many pranks as possible, all to Fenton.

He’d gotten word that the Fenton family was going to be out all night on October 30th, so around 8 p.m., Dash and Kwan drove his truck up around the corner from Fenton Works and put it in park. The backseat was filled with various supplies for their impending vandalism.

“Ready, Kwan?”

“I don’t know, man. These are the Fentons. Who knows what freaky alarm systems they have in there?” Kwan questioned nervously.

“Relax. If they do have alarms, they’re probably for ghosts, not humans. Like they ever think about anything else,” Dash chuckled. “Ghost-hunting freaks.”

“But this feels like going too far.”

“Hey, quit worrying, huh? That punk deserves this. Now let’s go!” Dash got out of the driver’s seat and shut the door, before opening the back door and pulling out a duffel bag. He saw that Kwan was still hesitating in the front, fidgeting with his seatbelt. “C’mon, Kwan!”

“Alright, sheesh! Don’t ever say I never did anything for you!” he grumbled, finally getting out of the truck and grabbing his own supplies.

Dash rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t gonna.”

The two jocks jumped over the fence to the Fentons’ backyard and crept up to the back door. Dash peered cautiously into the window to check for any signs of life.

“Coast is clear!” he whispered, then went to the door to try the knob. Luckily, it was unlocked, eliciting an evil grin from him as he pushed it open. “Fools.”

They found themselves in the kitchen, all the lights off except for one over the stove. Kwan felt along the wall for the main light’s switch and flipped it up.

“Okay. We hit the kitchen, living room, and Fenton’s room, then the outside. Got it?” Dash explained, his eyes flaring with revenge.

“Got it,” Kwan answered, and the boys set to work.

Sugar was replaced with salt, coffee grounds with dirt, and Dash even laced the milk with some of his dad’s leftover booze. It would serve that punk right to show up with a buzz Monday morning. Kwan also took the liberty of putting a bottle of diet Coke in the middle of the kitchen table and dropping a pack of Mentos into it, letting it wreak its own havoc on the room.

Everything that had the potential to be pranked, was.

In the living room, they cut jack-o’-lantern faces into the blinds, and stuffed all the chips they could find in the kitchen under the couch cushions, then covered the couch with plastic wrap, pouring olive oil all over it. They even threw a scary movie into the DVD player, then paused it on the most horrifying frame possible and turned off the TV so whoever turned it on next would certainly be terrified.

Finally, they went up the stairs to stand outside Danny’s bedroom door.

Dash cast a warning glance at his friend. “You should go get started on TP’ing and egging the place. This is personal.”

“Whatever, man. Just be quick,” Kwan returned, going back down the stairs as Dash snuck into the room.

Danny’s room was eerily silent, making Dash shiver. He needed to get some dirt on the kid quickly, but first….

He poured some pink hair dye in Danny’s shampoo bottle, then opened his dresser drawers and replaced all his boxers with panties and thongs the girls had willingly donated to his prank’s cause. For added measure, he snapped a picture of his work with his phone, planning to use it later.

One last thing Dash did was pop onto Danny’s computer. The screensaver was on, but when he wiggled the mouse, the machine was still logged in, much to Dash’s satisfaction. With a few swift clicks, he opened the email program, and began to peruse.

Most of the messages were just about school stuff, deadline extensions and the like. A few NASA alert emails, some Nasty Burger coupon offers, and a particular chain of messages from Manson and Foley.

Dash began to read the last set of emails, and as he did so his jaw dropped in utter sickening shock. They were talking about ghost fighting, and being overwhelmed, and serious injuries.

And how Fenton should probably lay low from being  _Phantom_  for a few days to recover from his own specific injuries. And accompanying graphic pictures.

Even though he was completely alone, Dash was once again mortified. The latest email was from that morning, and the picture with it was of a nasty gash on Fenton’s stomach…right next to a bruise Dash was sure he had created yesterday. He gulped down dry air.

He had to get out of there, pronto. Mischief Night was done for him. After reverting the computer screen back to where he found it, he scrambled out of the room and raced down the stairs to the back door. When he opened it, he was hit by an egg Kwan had just thrown.

Kwan brought his hands up to his face regretfully. “Oh shit, man. I’m so sorry!”

Dash barely took a second to admire his friend’s handiwork. The whole back porch and wall were smothered in eggs, and that Fenton toilet paper Danny had once stuffed in Dash’s locker (that he had saved for an occasion like this) seemed to have been put to good use. But none of it mattered anymore.

“Forget it. We need to leave now.” Dash was already halfway to the fence. “Just grab your stuff and let’s get out of here.”

Kwan complied, but asked, “Care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Not really. Or at least not now.” Within seconds, both teens were in the truck, and Dash revved it up and screeched out of there.

It wasn’t until he’d drop off Kwan that Dash had a chance to think, however stumped his thoughts were.

So, Fenton, his favorite punching bag, was Phantom, the town hero. Dash bullied the town hero. When he was already getting pounded by supernatural creatures that could probably actually kill him. Or was he already dead? How did this work exactly?

And what was he supposed to do with this information?

Dash’s head was spinning by the time he got home, where he was greeted by his own house having been pranked for Mischief Night. There wasn’t too much damage done, but the magnitude of the prank was massive. On the face of his house was a gigantic blown-up photo of Dash sleeping in his bed, snuggling his  _secret_ favorite pink stuffed bear. As a caption, above and below the picture was written, “Dash & Captain Fluffs” in string lights, so that it attracted attention.

No doubt word of this prank was already spreading through town. But Dash didn’t care about that. He deserved it, and then some. What he couldn’t stop focusing on was the implication that he now knew how the lights and poster probably got up on his house. If he were to check, he’d bet he wouldn’t find a trace of ladder imprints in the dirt.

But again, he deserved it.

An immense wave of regret and shame washed over Dash has he dragged himself to his room and flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t tell Danny he knew his secret, but he had to at least  _try_  to make things right. Otherwise, he’d be embarrassed to face anyone ever again.

Swallowing down all his pride, Dash took out his cell phone and began a new text message to Danny: “ _There’s some things I want to apologize for_ ….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I doing Mischief Night right?
> 
> *Disclaimer: please be smart about pranks, kiddos.


	13. The Comfort of Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for slight gore, body horror.*
> 
> Ectober Week 2015 - Day 7: Bad End + Darkness

For Danny, darkness was a friend.

A lot of his good memories were associated with darkness, and he found escape and solace through it with the bad ones.

Danny always wanted to be a part of the darkness. Ever since he could remember, he wanted to be an astronaut, floating within the impossible vastness of the universe. No atmosphere, no anything to separate him from being one with the majestic black void of outer space.

It’s one of the reasons he had been able to make peace with becoming half-ghost: he could fly. Flying provided that absence of gravity he dreamed about as a kid, and it brought him a step closer to that darkness he craved.

He loved it because it gave him a direct means to connect with it through a life-long passion: stargazing.

As often as he could, practically every night in the summer, Danny would take his telescope outside and search every inch of the sky, discovering countless mysterious wonders that sparked something deep within him, a powerful feeling he couldn’t live without and that he couldn’t possibly put into words. He’d been overjoyed when he got his driver’s license. It meant he could finally drive himself out to more rural areas outside of Amity Park. Rural areas meant less light pollution, which meant darker skies to observe, and darker skies meant connecting even more to the stars and astronomical darkness he desired.

Coincidentally, the darkness gave life to some of his brightest and happiest memories.

One of his favorites was Halloween. He used to love to go trick-or-treating, dressing up in his little NASA astronaut jumpsuit and collecting candy with Jazz. His favorite part was when the sun would finally set on the day of October 31st, because that’s when all the decorations would light up and unleash their magical pull on the town, bringing everyone out to run around and have a spooky good time.

Danny had fallen in love in the darkness.

One night, when he, Sam, and Tucker were having a movie marathon in Sam’s basement, Danny couldn’t stop looking to his left at Sam on the couch. She just looked so happy and content in that moment, perfectly stunning in his eyes. When she had accidentally caught one of his stares, Danny could have sworn his heart was going to leap out of his chest. He could see the mutual feelings in her eyes. And so, with only the light coming from the movie screen, Danny and Sam secretly shared their first kiss behind Tucker, who was laying on the floor with his eyes glued to the zombie action.

There had also been all those times when darkness had accompanied him through long nights of gaming. He’d always sigh when the light finally peeked into his room after eight straight hours of playing  _Doom_  with Tucker online. As long as he had the blanket of darkness watching over him, all he had to worry about was having fun.

And then there were all the times Danny ran to the darkness for escape and protection. For understanding.

Every time Dash hit him, he’d try to detach himself from the moment, and search the depths of his brain for a distraction.

Or when Vlad would blast him  _hard_  and he’d lose consciousness, he secretly was thankful for the few brief seconds of nothing but the blackout to focus on.

In practical terms, the darkness was a godsend for him and his friends. When things were getting extremely rough in their ghost fighting, they could usually fall back into the shadows. Retreat and recover.

After school sometimes, on particularly terrible days, when it was still light out, he’d run for the Ghost Zone. It was still somewhat bright in there with the ectoplasm, but he could float for hours towards the perpetual dark horizon, as if it  _was_  space, and release anger by blasting away into it, like it was a black hole.

Each time he went to bed, Danny cherished the chance for respite behind his closed eyelids. No school or life to worry about. A chance to let his body heal from the constant ghost fights.

Even beyond that, there were times when even his dreams became yet another nightmare, and he could only find solace by going back to stargazing. Only there was no telescopes or star charts in those times. It would just be him, floating on his back high above the town, focusing whole-heartedly on one particular dot in the night sky. It made the pain and tears disappear, even if just temporarily.

And then, there was the one time Danny mistook his flight path and allowed himself to be caught by his parents.

His heart rate was skyrocketing through the basement ceiling as they strapped him to a horribly stiff metal table. He was in one of his worst nightmares: being taken in for experimenting like he was in a horror movie.

When they turned on the overhead light, he felt so unbelievably exposed and he hissed at it. It took him way out of his comfort zone, completely away from his chance for escape.

The moment one of his parents tore open his jumpsuit and began feeling around his chest for his core, and he felt the plastic of their gloves rubbing along his bare skin, he froze in a state of shock. He couldn’t scream or even try to explain himself now. He knew what was coming, and he was helpless to defend himself.

It finally came with the clink of metal against metal. Danny only saw a glint from its blade before the scalpel touched his skin.

The agony was too great, but he could only react to it internally as he was strapped down. Even that was pointless though now, since he was still stricken by panic. But he was crying and kicking and yelling inside his head as the cool metallic knife sliced him open and ectoplasm bubbled out of him like lava.

Danny desperately wished he would pass out already so he could disconnect from his nerves, but the current stimulations being wreaked on them were stubbornly keeping him wide awake.

With no chance for real escape, Danny did the only thing he knew how to do: escape into the darkness. The flood light above that made him feel exposed now beckoned to him in a photonegative way. He opened his eyes wide and stared directly at the bulb, forbidding himself to blink.

Gradually, the light began to blind his vision, and the pain, and he slipped into the welcoming, familiar arms of his old friend, the darkness. Everything around him was black, and he felt free, yet sheltered in a comforting sense, numb to all else.

Danny began to let his imagination wander through the darkness, and soon he was transported into space once again. It felt like he was finally home, in his happy place, and he smiled, staring contentedly into the deep ocean of stars surrounding him.

He was an astronaut, and the darkness was his universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! So, this was it for my first Ectober Week, and I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you thickerthanectoplasm for hosting it! You rock! :D


	14. Grass on a Bun

Tucker sighed in exasperation as he shut the front door with more force than usual. The wafting aroma of freshly baked cookies instantly beckoned to him, and he begrudgingly followed his nose to the kitchen.

“Hi, sweetie,” Angela greeted. Her blue apron was covered in flour as she finished sliding the last of a batch of cookies onto a plate, which she then pushed in Tucker’s direction. “Cookie?”

“Thanks.” Tucker pulled out a stool and sat down, then grabbed a cookie and chewed on it angrily.

His mom picked up on his troubled expression. “Something bothering you? I thought you were going to work on homework at Danny’s house for a little bit longer.” She glanced up at the clock on the microwave. “It’s only four o’clock.”

“Ehh…me and Sam had a fight,” Tucker answered. He popped the last bite of cookie into his mouth and reached for another automatically.

Angela blinked in surprise. Those three kids rarely got upset with each other, so something drastic must have happened. “Want to tell me about it, dear?” she asked in concern.

Tucker mindlessly pinched the edges of the cookie between his fingers, testing its softness, and let out another disgruntled sigh before delving into the details of the fight. “It’s just that Sam just  _had_  to go and change the lunch menu to her veggie ways. And so because of that, Dan-” He cut himself short, not wanting to mention the extra- _spectral_  activities involving Danny. “Danny…and I didn’t have meatloaf like we usually do on Tuesdays. No, instead there were literal mud pies and grass on a bun. It was too nasty to even try, and so I didn’t even get lunch!” No need to mention the few bits of meat he had trying to save Sam from a huge pile of the stuff because of a  _ghost_.

Angela stared at him from across the counter for a few seconds, slightly amused by the cause of the fight, then started to walk over to the fridge. “Well, I’m sorry you missed lunch at school, but I hope  _this_  will help to make up for it for dinner tonight.” She pulled a set of steaks out of the middle drawer, watching as her son’s eyes lit up with a renewed sense of enthusiastic hunger.

Tucker looked down at the cookie in his hands and smiled despite himself. His mom (and her cooking) never failed to comfort him, and he was grateful she was here for him now.

“So,” she began as she put the steaks back in the fridge for later, “What are you going to do about Sam and the new menu? Tucker?”

He shook his head out of his meat-induced reverie and looked up at her. “Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m gonna stage a pro-meat protest tomorrow at school. Any tips on how to organize one?”

Angela just gave Tucker an incredulous stare. It looks like her cooking wasn’t going to completely solve this dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY 12th DANNYVERSARY!!!
> 
> My original idea (from, like October) for this prompt ("Comfort + Tucker") was going to be way different, but considering the occasion, I figured a little scene insert for “Mystery Meat” was needed.


	15. Just Save Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for gore, body horror.*

Before Danny even hit the ground, Sam knew she was going to have to explain some things to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. Her heart was hoping it would just be another little white lie to keep Danny’s secret, but as her legs brought her closer and closer to the point of impact, her mind knew better.

“Tucker, get the car!” her lips mumbled out. She wasn’t even sure if she had said anything, but her peripheral vision caught Tucker racing off to go get his SUV. Her boots skidded to a stop at Danny’s sideways foot and she knelt on the street at his side.

From this close she could tell just how serious the hits had been. Even though he was still in ghost form, there was already more red oozing out than green ectoplasm, something they had never seen happen before and shook Sam to the very core. There were three sharp blade marks running parallel to each other from the side of Danny’s jaw down to just below his belly button, and – Sam had to swallow hard to keep any little amount of rationality she had left – a deep hatchet mark ran across the front of his left thigh, as if someone had been chopping firewood with an axe. She could see bone if she looked carefully. And of course, there were the two blaster shots to his torso, one on his shoulder and the other nearly on top of his core, that had scorched through his suit and outer layers of skin to reveal muscle tissue.

Sam stared up at the night sky through a thin veil of watery eyes, glaring in the direction where Skulker had flown off, and then back down at Danny. His eyes were shut but his mouth was barely letting out stunted, painful gasps.

“Danny? Danny, please…” Sam begged. Her hands squeezed his, afraid to move him any other way until Tucker got back with his car. “You can’t do this. Just hang in there, okay? You’ll be okay.”

“Leg…hurts…” he struggled to breath out, and Sam let out a thankful, if brief sigh. At least he was still conscious. A few seconds later, however, he gripped her hand tightly as a spasm of pain tore through him, and an involuntarily scream left his throat, his eyes shooting wide open before closing around tears of his own.

Tucker’s headlights suddenly blinded her as he sped around the corner, screeching to a stop a few yards away. He scrambled out of his seat, not bothering to turn off the car, and lifted the trunk door open as he ran around the back.

“How bad is it?” he asked as he ran up to them, immediately getting ready to lift Danny.

Sam swallowed down another lump in her throat to focus herself and got up to help lift him. “He’s still awake, but…it’s bad, Tucker. His leg’s been…hit,” she answered carefully, not wanting to alarm Danny if he was listening. “And he was shot near his core. Hurry!”

Tucker grabbed Danny under his shoulders and hoisted him up, and Sam followed with his legs, both being as careful as possible to be gentle yet efficient. Still, the movement tore screams out of the half-ghost, only muffled by an internal conflict to give up his consciousness.

As the two of them laid Danny down in the back of the car and climbed into the front seats, Tucker wordlessly began a frantic drive to Fenton Works. There was no point in trying the hospital – they weren’t properly equipped and who knew how long it would take to make them understand the situation. At least Fenton Works had the right tools.

Sam’s head was spinning. She had no clue how Danny’s parents were going to react to the news that their son was half-ghost, on top of the fact that he was seriously injured. But the important thing was that he needed help. Their help.

She drew in a deep breath as Tucker pulled up right next to the curb and fumbled with her seatbelt in a panicked rush.

“I’ll get Danny,” Tucker notified her. “You tell his parents what’s going on.” The look in his eyes said it all – he had the same concern about their reaction. “Good luck.”

Sam nodded firmly and finally got her seatbelt undone, then made a run out of the few steps to the front door, bursting in to find Maddie sitting on the couch, watching TV, and Jack just in sight from the kitchen, rummaging through a cabinet for a snack. Maddie looked up at her confusedly, asking, “Sam? Where’s Danny and Tucker?”

The goth walked closer to the couch, then hesitated. She had to be very careful with how she worded this, yet succinct to get Danny help as fast as possible. With any luck, she hoped she could rely on Maddie’s ability to remain level-headed in emergencies. “I need you to remain calm,” she decided on, and immediately noticed how Maddie braced herself for impact, a move that conveyed years of experience. “It was  _not_  fatal, but Danny’s been in a terrible accident and he needs your help.”

Maddie sprang up off the couch, ready for action, and opened her mouth to speak, but as if on cue, Tucker sidestepped through the open front door, Danny hanging precariously in his arms, still in his ghost mode and mumbling incoherently from the pain. Sam looked at them, then back at Maddie, whose mouth was now hanging wide in surprise.

Just then Jack came back into the living room from the kitchen. He stopped at the archway and swept his gaze over the room, his eyes finally landing on Danny Phantom, the ghost he had been hunting for over two years now. The sight caused him to drop the bag of chips he was holding, and he took on an apprehensive anger. “What’s going on here?”

Sam knew Danny would hate her for what she was about to say, but it was for his own good. “There was an accident, Mr. Fenton. With Danny.” She gestured to their son in Tucker’s arms. “ _Your_  Danny.”

“But that’s Phantom!” Jack bellowed in instant protest, his hand twitching for his ecto-gun on his waist.

She shook her head. “It’s a long story. But you have to believe me: that’s  _your_  son, Danny. He’s both human and ghost.” There it was, the truth was out there, and Sam felt herself shaking in anticipation of their response. “I know it’s a shock, but he was shot near his core and he needs your help right now or else-” No, she wouldn’t let herself think about  _or else_.

Her plea seemed to mute everything around her except her own thudding heartbeat for about two seconds, and then, to her complete surprise, Jack strode past her and gently took Danny from Tucker, cradling him against his orange hazmat suit.

“Mads, get the lab ready,” he directed, and they both went into action mode, heading down to the basement laboratory with hurried, yet precise movements. Tucker and Sam shared grateful looks, and followed them downstairs. They had believed Sam against all odds, and Danny was going to get help. They were going to save him.

“You kids were right to bring him to us,” Jack told them through rushed breaths as they trailed behind him. “We have everything he needs here, though his leg will be tricky. I suggest staying back a bit while we do this.”

The two teens stood near a table at the base of the stairs as Jack took Danny to an examination table in the center of the lab and laid hm down, then strapped his limbs down to restrain him. Maddie was prepping a tray of various medical equipment on a cart next to him. Tucker shook, having just seen his best friend’s injuries up close while carrying him, and even began to pace in a little circle, while Sam stared at the scene before her, clasping her hands together under her chin in a mix of agony and hope.

Jack’s back blocked most of Danny from view, but Sam tried to listen carefully as the couple began to work on him. Maddie, having the more delicate fingers of the two, seemed to be doing most of the operation while Jack handed her tools as she asked for them. It was hard to hear over the ambient noise of the lab in general, but Sam could make out words like “scalpel,” “needle,” and “washcloth,” presumably for cleaning and stitching Danny up.

A grueling twenty minutes passed, during which Danny had passed out completely from sheer pain, but still seemed to be alive. Sam’s hopes were growing, albeit at minuscule amounts, with each successive minute there were no causes for alarm. And then, while she was trying to overhear Jack and Maddie’s hushed talking over the humming of machines, all that hope was drowned and her blood ran ice-cold. Maddie’s last whisper was a definite cause for alarm.

“…So fascinating, Jack! I’ve never seen ectoplasm react like this in any of our other experiments!”

“Yeah, and that’s just in his leg. We should check out his core next. I’m sure those readings will be off the charts!”

“Alright, but only a little. We need to preserve it as much as we can. Now, hand me the scalpel again?”

Sam nearly collapsed as the room started to blur around her. They weren’t fixing Danny. They were  _dissecting_  him.

“Get  _away_  from him!” she screamed as she sprinted across the room and pulled at Jack’s hazmat suit. He moved to the side out of surprise, and Sam got a good look at her friend laying on the table - his torso was in much the same state as it had been when she had last seen it, but the skin around his leg wound had been cut back and pinned down, leaving a big gaping hole of muscle and exposed bone. Maddie had a scalpel in one hand and her gloves appeared to be drenched in ectoplasm and blood, and on a tray next to her were several slices of spongy-looking flesh.

“What the  _hell_  are you doing?” Sam’s gaze travelled furiously between the two adults. Her nerves were on fire, panicked, confused, and angry.

“Sam…we know it’s not really Danny,” Maddie began, her motherly tone betraying her horrific appearance. “That’s impossible.”

Jack lifted his goggles to get a better look at her and Tucker, who had come over to the table in a rush after Sam. “Yeah. And even if it was, we would’ve known about it,” Jack added.

“Are you kidding me?!” Sam gestured wildly at the body on the table. “That’s  _Danny_! He can change back and forth!”

“Look, kids, we’ve been…aware that you guys are fond of Phantom, and I’m not sure why you think it’s our son, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime for us! To study an entity like Phantom up close, man! Thank you for bringing him to us.” Jack beamed at them.

Sam felt her stomach drop. They hadn’t believed her. She had come clean about Danny’s secret and  _they hadn’t believed her_. This had to be a nightmare, but the rank stench of ectoplasm assured her it was not.

“Are you guys seriously that dense?!” Tucker’s voice, not hers. He sounded far away, yet was the only thing she could hear. “He needs help  _now_! Stop experimenting and save your son’s life! He’s  _dying_!”

_Oh my god_. Danny was dying, or he could already be… Sam went on auto-pilot, knocking Jack out of the way with enough force to send him stumbling backwards onto the floor, but she didn’t notice. He could rot in hell for all she cared.

Everything else tuned out as Sam pressed two fingers against the uninjured side of Danny’s neck, listening through them for that beating that was already faint when he was Phantom. After a handful of seconds, her own heart seemed to stop as she fell forward onto him in disbelief. No pulse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, this was fun. Prompt was "Tact + Sam." I _was_ going to have it be more hopeful, yet sad. But this way was just so much more fun and evil. I regret nothing.


	16. Fenton Knows Best

Three deep breaths.

If Maddie could get through those three breaths, she might be able to survive this. Maybe it could go well.

“And just for precautionary measures, why don’t you let our caterer make the cakes?”

Wrong.

Maddie ground her teeth together and glared at the kitchen table in front of her in frustration. She was quickly getting sick of Pamela Manson’s thinly-veiled insults.

But she had to remain calm and level-headed, for Sam and Danny’s sakes. After all, their sixteenth birthdays were coming up, and seeing as how they were born only four days apart, the Mansons and Fentons had decided to throw a joint party for them.

Unfortunately for Maddie, that meant she had to deal with the most irritating of the Mansons, Sam’s mother, Pam, who had taken it upon herself to be the “chief organizer” of the party. It made enough sense, since the Mansons were allowing the party to be at their house and were also covering a large portion of the costs, but Maddie was also  _supposed_  to have a say in things. It was  _her_  son’s party, too, after all.

But dealing with Pam’s spoiled ways of the rich and condescension was futile, and it was starting to gnaw on her nerves.

“Fine,” Maddie finally responded. “Just make sure Danny’s cake is double chocolate-strawberry.” She would just make her own traditional cake for him when they had their own little family party. She doubted Danny would have a problem with multiple cakes. The boy had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

“Fine,” Pam repeated, making a note on her  _damn_  clipboard that she seemed to always.have in hand. Maddie would have to sneak a peek at it later to make sure her suggestions were actually being written down.

Pam’s eyes scanned down the list to the next item. “Alright, next item is…colors. I’m thinking pinks and whites would be absolutely lovely, don’t you agree?”

Maddie had to blink back her shock.  _Doesn’t this woman know her daughter at all_? She knew Danny would never agree to that, and Sam…she’d have a better chance of seeing pigs fly first before the goth girl would even  _consider_  it. She had to defend the kids on this.

“With all due respect, Pamela-”  _Or what little is left of it_. “-I doubt Sam would like pink at her birthday party. Why don’t we just combine her and Danny’s favorite colors? Purple and red?”

Pam gasped in offense, and Maddie had to resist rolling her eyes. “But those colors are so dark! That will never do!”

And there was the eye roll. The mood in the air suddenly tensed up.

“I’m sorry, Maddie, do you have a problem with what I said?” The snark in Pam’s voice was impossible to miss.

Maddie had to be very careful here. While she didn’t regret her reaction, she didn’t want to unleash the full Manson wrath. “Well, no…but this is our kids’ party. Shouldn’t we be planning it with  _them_  in mind?”

Pam scrutinized her guest harshly for a moment, but ultimately gave a disapproving sigh and conceded, “Fine. At least the colors are close to pink…” She erased something on her clipboard, and Maddie couldn’t decide whether to secretly glare in annoyance or feel smug about her small victory.

When Pam looked back up, her condescending smile had returned. “Okay, and now for the music playlist. Now I was talking with the DJ, and he said he could-”

“Wait, wait, wait,  _what_?” Maddie shot up straight in her seat. “I thought we agreed with Sam and Danny that they would be in charge of music?” It was one thing for Pam to choose something Sam wouldn’t like, but to go back on an existing agreement?  _Despicable_.

Pam let out what could only be described as a rehearsed country club’s laugh. “Oh heavens, no! I listened to some of the songs Samantha suggested, and the lyrics alone are absolutely disgraceful! I’ll just work with the DJ to create something more appropriate.” She leaned forward again to scribble another note.

Maddie had just about had it with this woman, and she could feel all the pent-up anger of the day building up inside her, near ready to snap. “Now hold on, Pamela. We have an agreement with our children, and we need to honor that.”

Another fake laugh. “Oh please, Maddie, do you legitimately trust the judgment of  _teenagers_  to plan an appropriate affair?”

_Snap_. Maddie was officially fed up. She shoved her chair away from the table and stood up to lean forward on it, her shadow growing long over Pam. “How  _dare_  you! Yes, they’re teenagers, but they’re opinions are just as valid as yours, and it’s astonishing that you don’t have faith even in your  _own daughter’s_  choices! It’s her and Danny’s party, now stop being the stuck-up queen of condescension and plan this with  _them_  in mind!”

The kitchen was silent save for Maddie’s huffed breathing. Pam stood up to mirror Maddie’s stance, and although much noticeably shorter than the other woman, got in her face and glared fiercely at her.

“What did you just call me?” Pam egged on.

“You heard me.” Maddie wasn’t going to back down this time, rationality be damned.

Pam scoffed. “Typical for a ghost-hunting  _freak_.”

_Slap_.

Pam’s head turned with the force of Maddie’s blow, and she brought a gloved hand up to touch her cheek in wide-mouthed shock. Maddie herself was surprised by her action, but her features held firm in a mix of a glare and a satisfied smirk.

Maddie expected Pam’s return slap just as much, and within seconds the two women had moved around the side of the table and were on the floor, slapping each other, pulling hair, and getting a few scratches in. Maddie was pretty sure Pam had even gotten a bite in on her arm, which, if she had fully registered it, she might have responded to with,  _That’s right, eat hazmat_. It served her right.

They got so caught up in their fight, however, that neither of them heard the front door until it closed shut. Maddie and Pam froze and turned their heads towards it to see Sam, Danny, and Tucker staring at the scene in front of them, backpacks slung across their backs fresh off a long day of school.

It was awkwardly quiet until Sam let out an indifferent sigh and announced, “Well, at least there’s no broken glass this time.” She walked past them towards the stairs to her room, and Danny and Tucker followed her.

As the kids left the room, the women glowered at each other.

“You see what you did?” Pam accused.

“That tears it.” Maddie narrowed her eyes and lunged at her.

This party was never going to get planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so much fun to write Danny's friends' parents. :) Prompt was "Rationality + Maddie."


	17. Alone in a World So Cold

Despite what most people assumed, Jazz was more of a night owl than an early bird. Sure, she didn’t have any problems getting up early (especially when she had a cup of coffee to look forward to), but she preferred late nights when the rest of her family was asleep (or off fighting ghosts) and she felt like she was alone in the world.

It was comforting, in a way. She could be alone with her thoughts and just be herself, even if there was not much to do.

Or, at other times, she got her best ideas at night and could fill the void of darkness with a burst of productivity. She had read somewhere that this was a trait of geniuses, and she relished that fact.

But this particular night included none of that. Instead, it was cold.

Normally she would be the strong one in a situation like this, but seeing as how the house had been empty for hours now, there was no one to be strong for.

There hadn’t been any notes, no phone calls or messages. The lights had still been on when Jazz got home around ten, but emptiness greeted her with an eerie silence that had sent a rush of panic down her spine. She had called out for her family, but no answer. Checked their rooms - no one.

And then she checked the basement. It was an instant regret. It was as if someone had shouted, “Cut!” during a horror movie shoot, and all the actors had left, leaving behind the set of a lab during the movie’s climax. The ridiculously blinding white light had been left on over the exam table to reveal medical tools strewn all over it and a side cart, and…oh god, there was green and red everywhere, most chillingly in the outline of a human (or a certain half-ghost) on the table. And were those slices of green muscle on the cart?

Jazz’s first reaction had been to run to the bathroom to throw up the candy she had consumed at the movies just a few hours earlier. And then the possibilities started to trickle into her mind. There was always the off-chance that she was worrying for nothing and that it had been some other ghost on that table, but that outline had been too distinct and full ghosts didn’t have red blood mixed into their ectoplasm.

Danny had promised he would be careful, that he would never let himself be caught by their parents. But Maddie and Jack had been after Phantom for years, and were always proudly exclaiming what they would do to him if they ever got their hands on them. And now it seemed like they had gotten their wish.

Wouldn’t Danny have told them the truth when it had gone too far? Or Sam and Tucker if they had been there? Did their parents not believe them? Surely they wouldn’t be that dense, but…they’d seemed desperate for the ghost boy.

And where were they now? At the hospital? The Guys in White?  _Jail_? Was Danny…dead?

The shock of that thought had brought Jazz to her knees, and she practically crawled all the way to her room, shutting and locking the door behind them. She had no clue what to do or where to go, and frankly, she felt too broken on the inside to do anything anyway but crawl up on her bed, hug her Bearbert close, and just cry.

Because no matter what was actually happening, things would be forever different for the worse. She knew how strong of a fear this was for Danny, finding himself being dissected by their parents, and by the state of things in the lab, this was beyond forgiveness. And if the absolute worst had happened, that would mean no longer having her little brother around.

Jazz cried hard and long. Either way, her lovable, goofy family was gone forever. She was alone now, and that shook her to her core, wracking her with sobs that refused to accept the cold, hard truth. She squeezed her stuffed bear closer, as if somehow that would make the entire situation go away.

When the crying started to die down to sniffles, mainly out of exhaustion, Jazz laid motionless on her bed, staring out through her window at the purple-tinted clouds covering the night sky with the threat of rain. The sight no longer felt comforting as it usually did. She shivered; it felt like the outside air had seeped into her room, canceling out any signs of life in the house, in the world.

She wondered how many times she had watched Danny zoom off into the night sky from this window. There was the very real possibility that that would never happen again now, and a fresh round of tears fell onto her pillow.

Jazz wasn’t ready to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partly inspired by Prince. Rest in Peace.
> 
> (And yes, this is a stand-alone continuation of "Just Save Him." Prompt was "Loneliness + Jazz.")


	18. Worth a Shot

It was absurd. Valerie knew it. Danny knew it.  _Dani_  knew it.

And yet, an itty-bitty part of Valerie was intrigued. She didn’t like that part of herself at the moment, but nevertheless, it was there, and it was nagging at her, like an itch she couldn’t quite reach on her back to scratch.

Danny Phantom had left just as quickly as he had arrived, not giving Valerie the chance to draw a weapon at him as he dropped a folded note on her desk and phased back out of her bedroom wall. It’d been unnerving, until the word lost all meaning when she’d leaned back in her chair and opened the note curiously.

_Hey Valerie,_

_I know it’s weird to do this through a note, but I’m just gonna say it: I think you’re cute and I like you. A lot. And I was wondering…if maybe you’d like to go see a movie or something together? I’ll be at Bucky’s music store at 7 if you wanna meet._

_-Dani_

Valerie’s chair had fallen backwards onto the floor while reading the note, and as she rubbed her head (which had thankfully hit all carpet), she tried to make sense of things.

It wasn’t that it was a girl who had a crush on her. No, Valerie was okay with that (whether or not she was gay herself remained to be questioned). But a  _ghost_  girl?! It was weird! Even if she was half-human, which somehow made it even stranger, and they had some sort of mutual almost-friendship since the rescue from Vlad Masters, Valerie was still a ghost hunter! It’d be awkward as hell!

So why did Dani think it was a good idea to tell her this?

That’s what Valerie was hell-bent on finding out as she flew to Bucky’s on her hover-board. She almost didn’t go - after all, she had homework, and she really wasn’t sure where her mind was on processing Dani’s announcement. But dammit, that itch of curiosity just wouldn’t shut up, and so off she went.

Bucky’s. It had been awhile since Valerie had been there as a casual customer. After she had picked up her job at Nasty Burger, she’d had to restrain herself from indulging her music obsession too often and wasting away her savings on CDs she didn’t have time to listen to. Hopefully Dani would get right down to business before she could let her eye wander too much over the stands.

Valerie landed behind the music store a few minutes after seven and willed her suit away, suddenly aware of the small hint of butterflies wavering around in her stomach. She hesitated as she rounded the corner as her own thoughts started to come into focus, and the whole situation grew in scope.

Because even if things were to go okay inside the store with someone she considered a sort-of friend, Valerie still didn’t know if she was gay, or bi, or whatever herself. She’d been questioning things for awhile, but granted, no one in particular had caught her eye’s fancy really since Danny Fenton a year or so ago, and she hadn’t really thought much about it since. Eh, maybe things would figure themselves out tonight.

The air of Bucky’s was fresh and cool as she walked inside, a welcome relief from the oncoming summer heat. She could’ve guessed where Dani was as she went to the Dumpty Humpty aisle, red beanie coming into view almost immediately.

Valerie walked up behind her and lightly cleared her throat, letting out a surprisingly small, “Hi, Dani.”

The ghost girl turned around and smiled widely, coming closer to give Valerie a strong hug. “Hey Val! Glad you could make it!”

Valerie wasn’t sure what to make of the hug, considering Danielle’s now-revealed feelings, but as quickly as it had started, it ended and that smile was still beaming at her.

And Valerie suddenly felt like she was blushing. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she didn’t want the hug to end, and whether or not it was on purpose, Dani’s smile seemed disarmingly charming. Was it some secret power she had, or was Valerie just imagining things due to the stakes at hand?

“So you wanna go see a movie?” Dani asked, excitement shining adorably in her eyes.

“Actually, I was hoping we could grab something to eat first. I kinda forgot dinner,” she answered with a chuckle.  _Or had been too distracted by the note to remember_. And besides, it was better to figure this out before spending two-plus hours together in a dark movie theater…and there were the butterflies again.

“Okay! Wanna get some burgers?”

Valerie smiled automatically. “Sure.” Whether it had been intentional or not on Dani’s part, she was grateful she had suggested burgers, since that implied going to the Nasty Burger, where Valerie had an employee discount, which she relied on heavily at times when funds were especially tight. With most other people, she would have been upset with the implication, but with Dani, who had been through hard times herself, there was a mutual understanding of what money meant.

The two girls headed outside into the light of the fading sunset, and turned left down the sidewalk towards the popular burger joint. As they walked, the street lamps began to flicker on, and there was an almost tangible excitement in the air from people passing by for summer to start in a couple of weeks.

Yet Valerie couldn’t focus on any of that, because she was too busy trying to prepare for the conversation about to happen. What she needed to be was honest with herself, but even that was difficult since she was still figuring out who “herself” was. Everything seemed to be a question these days, including what Danielle was to her.

It wasn’t like they were enemies or anything. Valerie had helped to save Dani’s life, and the ghost girl had saved hers (in a way) by kicking Vlad’s ass. She wasn’t going to hunt  _her_ (anymore), of course. And she knew probably what only a few other people knew in that Dani was half-human, half-ghost. It was a weird,  _unique_  connection, to be sure. But she never even considered going beyond anything more than friends.

Perhaps it was just time for a fresh start with some things, though. She’d thought breaking up with Danny had given her a fresh start to focus more on ghost hunting. But now, maybe dating someone is what she needed to reinvigorate that focus. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to let her guard down just this once and see what happened.

As the duo walked into the Nasty Burger, Valerie felt much more confident, although was still nervous to see how things would actually go, especially now that this whole night could be considered a date.

After ordering and picking up their food, they sat down in a booth towards the corner of the restaurant and began to eat, a relaxed silence falling between them for a moment until Dani asked after a bite, “So…I take it you read  _all_  of my note?”

Valerie nodded and swallowed her food. The actual words were burned into her memory:  _I think you’re cute and I like you. A lot._ Just thinking about those words were making her cheeks tingle now. Looking across the table, she had to admit that Dani was pretty cute herself, now that she actually thought about it.

“Val?”

Oh god, she’d been staring unintentionally. She quickly looked down at her half-eaten burger and spoke, “Uh, sorry.” Valerie was sure this was the most she’d blush in a year. It felt foreign from her usual collected demeanor. “Yeah, I read the note. And I gotta admit, I was literally floored by it.”

Dani smirked and raised a challenging eyebrow. “Literally?”

Valerie shifted her eyes to the side. “I may or may not have fallen backwards in my chair.”

Dani doubled over, trying to suppress a laugh, then looked back up, a giggle threatening to escape. “I’m sorry that happened, but that’s hilarious!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get you back, though,” she said playfully, grinning as she took another bite of her burger.

The younger girl grinned in return and grabbed a couple of fries from the tray in the center of the table, then waved them around lazily as she asked, “So, all kidding aside, what’d you think of it?”

Such a loaded question if Valerie had ever heard one. “Well…I’ll admit I was shocked at first, but then I did a lot of thinking, and…I think I wouldn’t mind giving  _this_  a shot.” She eased into a sincere smile and let out a sigh of relief. She’d said it.

Dani’s whole body let off a glow of excitement, rivaling her actual ghostly aura. “Really?”

Valerie was warmed by the sight, and felt encouraged in her decision. “Yeah! I mean, I thought it couldn’t work because of who we are, but then I realized, I’m not gonna hunt you. And you’re fun to hang out with! You’re worth a shot, ghost girl,” she answered, that playful smugness shining through again.

Dani was beaming radiantly, unable to sit still as she tried to contain her happiness. “I’m…I’m glad to hear it.”

The rest of the meal consisted of casual chatter, though there was a new buzz in the air that Valerie hadn’t felt in a long time, but gradually welcomed with open arms and relaxed into it.

Once they were done eating, they went to the movie theater around the corner and decided on seeing  _Captain America: Civil War_ , something they both hadn’t seen yet but desperately wanted to.

And about halfway through the movie, during a particularly exciting action scene, Valerie felt a hand suddenly grip hers tightly, and she looked to her right to see an awe-struck Dani completely captivated by the superheroes on the screen. She seemed to not even know she had grabbed her hand, but Valerie just smiled and left her hand in the other, relaxing into her seat with a content sigh.

This was definitely worth a shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand my plan to get the rest of these prompts done before Phanniemay failed miserably (and now I basically have to dive into Phanniemay with nothing ready oops). But I’m gonna do it! In the meantime, though, have this first venture into the Vengeful Babes ship! (Prompt was "Revelation + Valerie.")


	19. The Fenton Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 1: Origins

For the past three weeks, Jack Fenton had been working on a secret project.

Maddie had been beside herself trying to figure out what it was, but her boyfriend had been very tight-lipped as everyday, he would shoo her out of their usual university lab after their allotted time-slot, lock the doors, and close the blinds. She would then go home, trying desperately to think of what he could be working on.

He’d been very good about keeping his secret, too, which only befuddled her more. All he had given her was the assurance that it  _wasn’t_  any extra work on their latest group experiment. Normally, he would make an inadvertent blunder and spoil things, but he’d been uncharacteristically very aware of his actions and words, meaning that whatever it was, it was very important and serious business. Which only made Maddie more determined to find out.

One time, she did try to catch a glimpse of what he was working on by waiting for him in the hallway outside the lab, working on calculus homework in the meantime. She’d been worried something bad had happened once the two-hour mark had passed, but within minutes after that, Jack had come out, startled to see her.

“Mads? What are you doing here?” he asked as he backed up suspiciously against the door, tugging tightly at the edge of the left glove of his hazmat suit.

Instead of answering, she’d jump up from her spot on the floor with the finesse of the 9th-degree black belt that she was and attempted to reach a hand past him to open the door, wiggling the handle only to find it locked already.

Jack grabbed her hands and pulled them up between them, kissing them lightly as a knowing smile spread across his face. “Nice try, little lady. But you’re not gonna see it,” he snickered, wrapping an arm around her and walking her away.

“But just a-”

“Not yet! Now, come on, baby. Let’s go get some grub! Maybe dance, too!” His hearty, bellowing voice barely reached her ears, as her mind was racing with curiosity.

About a week later, for her second attempt, Maddie was much more diligent. She waited a good ten minutes after she’d seen Jack leave the science building - after  _three_  hours of work this time! - from her hiding spot behind a tree, then tried her best to look casual as she walked into the building, trying to keep the clicking of her boots to a minimum against the hallway floor.

Room 101. Her home away from home for the past four years. She unlocked the door with a key she’d gotten from the janitor who believed she’d forgotten a textbook in the lab.

She flicked on the lights with a sense of anticipation, only to find that the room was pretty much in the exact same state as when she’d left it. Their modest ghost portal still stood quietly on a station in the corner. It’d been improved only in small, frustrating amounts ever since Vlad’s accident way back in their freshman year, mostly due to a drop in funding for the whole department. Otherwise, there were the usual beakers and test tubes spread out, a stack of textbooks (one of which she snagged for appearance’s sake), and a strew of microscopes on the center table. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Except that the light on one of the microscopes had been left on! Maddie grinned wildly at she raced over to the device and peered through the eyepiece, only to have her hope deflate on the spot. Nothing was underneath it, unfortunately.

But it was still a clue! So, Jack had been using the microscopes, and as impressively careful as he’d been to cover things up, he still forgot little things like turning off the light. And…Maddie sniffed the air around the device suddenly. Ectoplasm. Faint, but still there with its sharp tang.

Two clues now. Jack must’ve been studying a sample, but…that could’ve been anything, maybe even a remnant from their group experiment earlier. And even if it did have to do with his secret project, it was still too broad of a lead to pinpoint anything.

After checking the rest of the lab for any potential clues, Maddie let out a groan of frustration. She was no closer to figuring out what Jack was up to than when she’d arrived just a few minutes before.

Maybe she was just being impatient. After all, he’d implied on more than one occasion that she would find out “soon enough.” But damn her scientific curiosity, she wished “soon enough” would come sooner than later!

Fortunately, it did, which was good news for her sanity, because she was on the verge of getting fed up with Jack’s amused brush-offs of the subject.

But about four days after her empty-handed mission, he stood waiting outside her physics classroom for her, and casually asked after a kiss, “Ready to see what I’ve been working on?”

Maddie nearly fell over in disbelief. Was she finally going to get to see what he’d been up to? “Are you serious?”

Jack shrugged and beamed down at her. “Yeah. I mean, now that it’s finally done!”

A wave of excited anticipation washed over her. “Alright!”

“Gnarly! Then I’ll pick you up around six! We’ll go to dinner first, and then I’ll show you.”

“Wait, what?” Maddie gave him a frustrated glare. So the wait continued.

“Gotta go to class! Later, baby!” With that, he gave her a peck on the cheek and strolled off towards the exit, leaving Maddie dumbfounded. He turned around at the last second, however, and shouted, “Oh! And wear something nice! I want this to be a celebration for finishing it!”

_Something nice_. Well, at least that would occupy Maddie’s mind for the next few hours, having to get all dressed up apparently.

By 5:30, Maddie was ready to go, and after one last hour of agonizing over the possibilities, Jack picked her up, dressed in his tuxedo from the last dance they went to.

Dinner seemed to take forever, not that Maddie didn’t like it. It was at one of the fancier places in town, after all. But that curiosity was building up to a breaking point by the time Jack paid the bill.

And finally, he was taking her to…the lake? For all the time he’d been spending in the lab, the open nature of the lake was the last thing she expected.

A chill ran down her arms, not from the lack of warmth her dress provided, but from the approaching nightfall. It was already relatively dark - she couldn’t even see the other side of the lake.

“Jack, are you sure we should be out here this late?” she asked, her eyes darting around instinctively. Dress or not, she was always ready to kick ass if need be, but she’d rather not have to deal with that.

“Relax, Mads! I know what I’m doing.”

_Not reassuring_ , she thought with a slight scowl.

Jack turned off the engine of his van and fumbled around with his seat belt in a hurry, then raced around the front to open her door. He’d been doing it for as long as they had been dating, but she still found it adorable each and every time. Graciously, she took his hand and stepped out into the humid lake air.

“Alright, Jack, what’s going on?” she prodded.

He held onto her hand and started leading her closer to the edge of the water. “Just hang tight. Oh, and close your eyes.”

“But what if I-”

“Ah ah ah! Don’t worry, I gotcha. Now, absolutely no peeking!” As he said this, he stopped their walk and stared at her until she closed her eyes with a sigh. The least she could do was oblige him to move things along.

For a minute, all Maddie could hear was something being dragged across the ground in front of her, then the faint thuds of Jack’s heavy footsteps against dirt as they came closer and closer to her until…

“Open your eyes.”

She did as she was told, only to see Jack with an excited, nervous grin, standing close enough to block her view behind him entirely. And then, he kneeled down.

Maddie gasped as she saw what was behind him: a ten-foot-long metal sign on a stand that had the words, “Marry Me?” carved out across it and filled with a batch of ectoplasm that was somehow glowing way brighter than any she’d ever seen. It seemed to light up the entire area, giving the lake and the trees an eerie, yet absolutely beautiful glow.

And down in front of her on one knee was the love of her life, Jack, holding out the most unique,  _high-tech_  ring she’d ever seen. It had a silver metal band with little glowing green lines etched across it in various directions. And then the gem itself…she wasn’t sure what kind it was, but it looked like a translucent diamond, with a small blob of ectoplasm floating freely inside.

She was so entranced by the little dancing form that she nearly jumped when Jack took her hand with one of his own and began to speak from his heart, trying to steady his words despite his emotions. “Madeline, Mads, I’ve spent the past three weeks trying to alter ectoplasm to make it glow brighter, and making this sign and all of that to build up to this: the Fenton Ring. I made it for you, but with one condition.” He chuckled and cleared his throat. “You have to take my last name to wear it.”

Maddie laughed and felt something wet slide down her cheek, surprised that she had started to cry happy tears without even knowing it - the happiest tears of hr life.

“I love you, Maddie. I want you to be the girl I fight ghosts with for the rest of my life, through every battle and monster. All the way ‘til…well, look at the engraving.”

Jack handed her the ring with a gentle touch, and she peered closely at the inside of the band, where a set of green letters shone proudly:  _‘Til We’re Ghosts_.

She repeated the words out loud, overcome by the meaning in them. They’d been saying that phrase to each other for the past few years as a dedication to their passion for science and the supernatural, but she’d never been happier to hear them than right then.

“’Til we’re ghosts, Mads. You and me. So, what do you say? Will you be a Fenton? Will you marry me?” He held the ring up to her again and stared with puppy-dog eyes full of love that rivaled the glow of light behind him.

Maddie began to furiously nod her head. She loved Jack more than anything, even ghosts, but she wanted nothing more than to have a life of hunting them  _with him_  like he’d just described. “Yes, of course!”

“Yes! I’m not nuts!” Jack shouted in triumph, and she couldn’t help but laugh at his exclamation.

She let him put the ring on her finger then pulled him up to her level to kiss him with all the love she could muster, his arms holding her close with a desire to never let go.

Not ‘til they were ghosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY PHANNIEMAY!!! (Shh it’s still the 1st on the Golden Coast.) Just a heads up, I’m going to do what it takes to do all 31 days! So be prepared!
> 
> Also, much love and thanks to @peacexfreedom for bouncing ideas around with me. ‘Twas a great help! And also also, consider this the origins of the Fenton family.


	20. Far Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 2: Fenton Works

They hadn’t believed her.

Sam had desperately tried to tell them over and over again, and neither he nor Maddie had believed her.

Jack hunched his shoulders in frustration and stared at the control panel on the desk in front of him, then spun around in his chair to face the rest of the Fenton Works Emergency Ops Center. He’d built this business, this  _life_  from the ground up, and now he had nothing but spite for it.

He hadn’t left the Ops Center in about a week. Not since he and Maddie had gotten home early the morning after Sam and Tucker had brought Phantom - Danny - to them and they had just…mutilated him. It had been all so easy and unbelievable then: they finally had their prized prey on the table in front of them, ready to experiment on with no obstacles. Until Sam had come flying past him, throwing a wrench into everything.

And then, Phantom was dead, according to Sam. It sounded so preposterous at first -  _of course_  Phantom was dead. He was a  _ghost_.

But after Sam and Tucker had shoved him and Maddie aside, fighting tooth and nail, and they’d stolen Phantom right off their lab table, leading them on a car chase to Tucker’s house where they stood defensively over the ghost boy, the truth had finally revealed its ugly head: Phantom’s body completely gave out and transformed into their son, Danny.

The next fews hours had been filled with explanation, argument, blame, and a black eye and broken nose for Jack delivered by Tucker. And then, the Fentons were going home empty-handed, on the insistence from Sam that they would never touch Danny’s body again.

When they’d gotten back to Fenton Works, all it took was one look at the basement’s door for Jack to immediately shut himself off in the Ops Center on the roof, wanting to stay as far away from the lab as possible.

So there he still was a week later, doing nothing and thinking about everything. He had no clue how Maddie and Jazz were taking things, and he wasn’t sure if he’d slept or even eaten anything; maybe his body had gone on auto-pilot and gotten a few bites from the fridge in the room. It felt ironic how the Ops Center used to be his place of comfort, his “man cave,” but now it only served as a torturous reminder of all that he loathed.

Jack still didn’t want to believe that any of it had happened, because that would mean it was all his fault. He’d been the one to make the first move and take Danny from Tucker’s arms down to the lab. He’d been the one who’d been laying out plans for how dissecting Phantom would go down for a few years.  _He’d_  been the one who had built that stupid portal in the first place, the very thing that had zapped his son dead. He’d killed his boy twice now.

He hated himself so much. His dumb obsession with ghosts had ruined everything, had taken everything away.

Every fiber within him wanted to go downstairs and blast every last thing in the lab, especially the portal, to bits. Tear down everything he had ever foolishly made with his oafish hands, all to erase his mistakes.

A venomous growl escaped Jack’s throat, and he backhanded the closest thing to him - the Fenton Crammer - off the desk and onto the ground, the sound of metal crashing through his head.  _No_ , he never wanted to see the lab again. He despised everything he’d ever done down there, what he’d  _become_  down there.

Hell, he wanted to get even further away from it than where he was now–and suddenly, the idea of it struck him. He knew how to end all of this right now. How to get further away, even.

Jack stood up with a new sense of purpose, and decidedly went over to the ladder up to the roof of the Ops Center.

As he opened the hatch and climbed out, a cool breeze hit him, the first he’d felt in a week. The sun was setting like an orange death over the day, prompting the arrival of the Grim Reaper of night. Fitting.

Jack began to walk towards the edge of the Ops Center. It all seemed so simple and clear again, like it had during the dissection. An ecto-gun wouldn’t be right for the job, too ironic and still too close to the lies he had built over the years. No, his own heavy mass would do quite nicely.

Three steps to the edge. Two. One. Zero.

And suddenly Jack was very far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look! I’m getting one out several hours before midnight for a change! This is a stand-alone second sequel to "Just Save Him" (chapter 15 of these shots), and its stand-alone sequel, "Alone in a World So Cold" (chapter 17). Hehehe…


	21. Adventures From a PDA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 3: Road Trip

_Day 1 - 11:47 a.m._

As of 9 a.m. this morning, Sam, Danny, and I are finally seeing through our high school plans of going on a real road trip together. No families, no involuntary rescue missions, just the three of us hitting the road in Danny’s jeep with an epic summer planned out.

Oh, and my 21st birthday! Let’s not forget that! We have everything scheduled so we go stargazing for Danny first in Oregon, then go to Oakland and L.A. for concerts for Sam, and then end at the best destination, the Comic Fab in San Diego to celebrate my birthday.

In the meantime, we’ve been on the road for about three hours now. The lovebirds are in the front, Danny driving and Sam acting as DJ. I never realized how amazing it is to blast music on a road trip with your friends, but it sure has our spirits high. And I’m sitting in the back seat, typing this up on my PDA and enjoying the sun coming in through the moonroof (Danny refuses to call it a sunroof, because the moon is cooler to look at).

We’re about to stop for lunch in a few minutes. We’ve got plenty of food in the car but it’s mostly snacks and meals for when we’re camping. Besides, I chose this place because it supposedly has the most amazing burgers in the pacific northwest, and I need to judge them for myself.

After that, I’ll be taking over for Danny on driving until dinner, and then I get to ride shotgun until we get to Gravity Falls. Danny wants to get some early stargazing in tonight (the actual meteor shower we’ll be there for peaks tomorrow), but my main priority while camping is barbecuing and s’mores. S’mores are my guilty pleasure. I swear, I’ll probably have seven before bed tonight.

We’re at the restaurant now. Burgers! Burgers! Burgers! Burgers!

Update: Oh my god I’m moving to this restaurant.

_Day 3 - 10:17 p.m._

I think I’ve had over 30 s’mores in the past 3 nights. I regret nothing (except losing a few marshmallows to the fire).

In other news, Gravity Falls is beautiful, and that’s coming from me, a technogeek. We found a nice clearing in the forest surrounding the town, closer to the mountains to avoid “light pollution,” as Danny calls it. It seems a little eerie out here, like something’s watching us from afar, but it’s worth it because the stars are incredible! Danny’s been grinning like an idiot over them for the past few days.

Yesterday we did a lot of hiking and exploring of the area, and even did some fishing. Sam didn’t care for that, so she wandered around the lake for a bit, and actually found a hidden cave behind the waterfall! We’re planning on going back there tomorrow for a picnic and some silly photoshoots.

Today we did more of the sightseeing thing in town. We visited some local tourist trap first, the Mystery Shack I believe, but after the owner tried to scam us on his merch, we left and ended up checking out the local mini-golf spot instead. Sam’s ball got stuck on the 14th hole, and when Danny slyly used an intangible hand to get it back, he swears he felt  _something_  moving around underground. Sam had to get a new ball in the end.

As for why we came to Gravity Falls, the Delta Aquariid meteor shower’s peak last night was spectacular! I lost track of how many I saw after 53, but tonight I’ve already seen over 10.

Danny’s set up his telescope for tonight because he wants to search for planets and deep space objects. I’m still trying to think of some lame “deep space” joke, but I think the amount of sugar I’ve had is messing with my wit.

I did get to take a few peeks through the telescope though. I saw Jupiter and Saturn, and then some nebulas I can’t remember the names of. Jupiter was the best, in my opinion.

Now I’m mostly just laying back with some snacks on this huge-ass blanket we brought along. We have a little stereo playing some background tunes, and right now Danny’s snuggling up with Sam and pointing out different constellations to us. We’ve got the fire going on behind us, too, and it’s very cozy. Perfect, actually.

_Day 8 - 1:05 a.m._

I. LOVE. California!

We just got out of the Nine Inch Nails concert at Oracle Arena Sam was dying to see, and more on that in a sec, but right now, we’re going to this new fast food place we went to earlier today, and I’m sorry Nasty Burger. I think In ‘N Out owns my heart now. (I still love the Oregon restaurant, too, but as far as quick burgers go, this place wins.)

Literally all I want while we’re in California is In ‘N Out double-doubles and fries. Hands down, they’re the best fries ever!

California’s just the best thing ever in general. I know we got to go to San Diego when we were trying to get the gem of fantasy back to save our families from Freakshow, but we really didn’t get to  _see_  anything.

But this trip has more than made up for that, and we’re not even down south yet!

Like earlier today, before we discovered the heaven that is In ‘N Out, we went to Silicon Valley, and it was a technogeek’s paradise! I saw the headquarters for Apple, Google, EA Games, and so many others. The whole Bay Area is a gem itself, to be honest.

And the concert we just came from was awesome, too! I’ve only ever heard Nine Inch Nails when Sam’s played their CDs, but these guys are good. And, Sam being Sam, she managed to get backstages passes for us and we got to meet the band and take some pics. Based on that, I’m even more pumped now for the Dumpty Humpty concert in L.A. in two days.

We just pulled up to In ‘N Out. I think I’m gonna get an extra order of fries to bring back to the hotel. I love late-night food runs.

_Day 12 - 11:31 p.m._

Best. Birthday. Ever!

I’m glad we saved the best for last, because the past two days have been nothing less.

They’ve been all about seeing San Diego. And by seeing, I mean most of it has been spent at the beach, taking in the sun and fun (and babes). Even Sam’s been enjoying it - and that’s saying something for the sun-hating goth.

Yesterday was particularly fun, because all three of us tried surfing! It’s way harder than Sam or I expected though, but Danny seemed to do rather well for a beginner. Our instructor was impressed, but Sam and I knew it was his powers. Even then, still impressive, because those waves are  _crazy_.

And then today, wow! We spent most of it at the first day of the San Diego Comic Fab, which is Nerdvana in paradise. We got to sit in on the  _Avengers_  panel, and afterward we got to meet some of the cast while they signed autographs!

Then we walked around for a few hours, seeing just a portion of the booths. The three of us signed up for a  _Doomed_ tournament tomorrow, so I gotta prepare for that at some point if I can.

Right now, we’re at a luau-type party back at the beach, where we had my birthday dinner a couple hours ago. And just a few minutes ago, I had my very first drink: a pineapple daquiri! Very delicious and sweet, but man, alcohol is  _strong_.

Sam just called me over to join in on dancing with her and Danny, because they requested my favorite song. I got the best friends in the world like that, and I wouldn’t have asked for any other people to go with on the greatest trip of my life.

Now, time to shake it on the dance floor!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No shame in saying this is mostly me just indulging myself (and the trio). Putting the trio in my dream road trip was an opportunity I couldn’t miss!


	22. Rock Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 4: Ember

It was so wide open, this Ghost Zone.

Every which way she looked, it stretched on for miles, or whatever the measurement system was down here, if any. Only islands of floating rock interrupted the waves of green and black swirling around into oblivion.

It was all so foreign to Ember, the eerie calmness of it all. She felt so small sitting at the edge of her own little rock island, staring out at it all.

It felt weird to be dead. It was like her consciousness had turned off in one place, and turned back on here. Everything felt lighter, too. She’d found out already she could fly, but it was like she had to make an conscious effort to stay  _grounded_.

And then there was the matter of her hair. One automatic attempt to smooth down her hair had led to the realization that it wasn’t hair, but a bright blue flame.

Fitting, considering the last thing she could remember seeing in her life was searing hot fire.

At least she still had her guitar, or an upgraded, powerful one anyway. After everything that had happened, she at least deserved to have her instrument still. It was purple and blue (just like her hair) and had some new unique dial settings, a few of which she had tried playing into the abyss, but for now at least, they didn’t seem to have any effect.

In a fit of boredom, Ember took up her guitar again and started to strum whatever her fingers felt like playing. She had to admit, she’d never heard any guitar sound better than this one. It was literal music to her ears.

“I like it.”

Ember nearly jumped out of her aura and whipped her head to the right. She had thought she was alone in the void surrounding them, but here was another ghost crouching down to sit next to her on the edge. He had tousled black hair and a goatee, and was wearing a dark purple trench coat and a gray scarf. The green in his eyes reflected off his glasses, and he hugged a book close to his chest.

She drew her guitar closer to her body in apprehensiveness. “What do you want?”

“N-nothing. I just heard your song, and I like it,” he answered, giving her a smile that was both shy and charming at the same time. “Do you write a lot of songs?”

She’d only ever written one real song, right before her death. Everything else had been little riffs, or she just covered other people’s work. But this guy didn’t know that. “Yeah,” she shrugged off. “But what’s it to you? Who are you even?”

The ghost let his arms uncross to show her his book, and he grinned at it affectionately. “I’m the Ghost Writer. I’ve written many a poem and novel. And you are?”

“Ember.” It’d been her planned stage name for about a month, and had insisted everyone start calling her it. If only she’d had the hindsight to not be so self-centered, perhaps she wouldn’t be telling it to a  _ghost_.

The Ghost Writer gave an affirming nod. “Ember - very nice, unique. Though I’m sensing a theme here…” He gestured to her hair and guitar’s design. “I take it it was a fire that did it?”

Ember was taken aback by his boldness, though it must’ve seemed more than obvious. She needed a mirror, if those where a thing here. She decided teenage wit would be best to answer with. “Nice detective skills, Sherlock.”

“Ah, Sherlock! He was definitely a favorite of mine!” He pushed his glasses up his nose, and there were a few seconds of silence as he got lost in his thoughts. “Anyway, I like your style. It’s nice to express yourself, isn’t it?”

“Maybe for you,” she replied, a sour taste growing in her mouth. If only he knew the truth.

“You don’t like to play your guitar?” There was disbelief in his voice, as if it was impossible for someone to  _not_  love their work the way he apparently loved to write.

“No, I do. It’s just-” A moment of vulnerability struck her. “It’s just I need some time to recover.” She did  _just_  die after all.

“That’s what  _that’s_  for,” he remarked, pointing to her guitar.

Ember held back a bitter laugh. She wouldn’t  _need_  her guitar to recover if it hadn’t been for the instrument in the first place.

Everything had changed the day she’d gotten her new guitar.

She’d been saving up for a few months to get a really nice purple one, with an amp to boot. Once she’d bought it she’d been inseparable from it, practicing day and night, getting better with each passing day. She wanted to write music, to  _play_  music for the rest of her life.

Only it’d conflicted with the other love of her life. Apparently her boyfriend couldn’t stop being jealous of how much time she spent with the guitar. She saw it as her passion; he saw it as an obsession. And he gave her a choice: the guitar or him.

Eventually, she chose him, when she realized it couldn’t be both. As much as she loved music, she loved her boyfriend more, and she was ready to show him just that. But the night that they were to go on a date to talk things over, he didn’t show, and she called him over and over for two weeks, waiting but never hearing back from him.

And then, when she finally went to go see him, she  _saw_  him - and  _her_. Ember didn’t give them a chance to spot her, but instead went straight home and played her guitar for three days straight, writing and recording “Remember.”

The song had only meant to be a way to let off steam, and then some. But when she finished recording it, the tape recorder became more of a death note. She dropped it off in his mailbox (with an extra kick of her boot), came home again, and let a lit match fall to the floor…

“Ember? Ember!”

Ember jumped back out of her memories and stared at the Ghost Writer, who had a panicked look aimed at her hair. She glanced up to see the edges of her flame dancing twice as high as it had been earlier. Suddenly, she became aware of the energy pulsing through her from the fire - and the angry tears running down her face.

“Damn it,” she muttered, rubbing her gloved hand across her face.

“They just don’t understand, huh?” This Ghost Writer guy really could pick up on stuff. Maybe he was Sherlock. He leaned in closer to her, as if the zone around them would overhear. “Your guitar, your music is your life, your whole world.”

Ember nodded. It really was. And she’d stupidly let some boy blind her from that fact.

“You wanna know the secret?”

She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, urging him to continue.

“You have to  _make them_  understand. Make the world bend to  _your_  ways. Don’t let them stop you from doing what you love.” The Ghost Writer gave an extra squeeze to his book.

_Make the world bend to me_ , Ember thought. She wish she’d had that advice before, but now was as good a time as any. “Thanks,” she said, sitting a little straighter.

The Ghost Writer stood up, brushing off invisible dust from his coat. “Anything for a fellow writer.” He gave her one last encouraging smile and floated off behind her.

Ember began to strum on her guitar again, letting the conversation process in her mind. The ghost was right. She couldn’t let anyone stop her from pursuing her music, especially now. She  _would_  make them understand that it was her passion.

And she would make sure they’d  _remember_  it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ember seems like she would have died recently, right? Like a little before she first tried to take over the world in “Fanning the Flames?”


	23. Revenge of the Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 5: Dance

“Are we seriously doing this?” Danny whined, sinking into one of Sam’s movie theater seats.

“Come on, dude! It’s  _fun_! I played it with my cousins, and I had the same reaction as you at first, but just trust me, it’s so much fun! And we get to play it on the big screen!” Tucker explained, downloading an app on Sam’s Apple TV, her big movie screen towering over the room.

Sam was gathering a tub of popcorn and a drink from the snack stand. “Yeah, Danny. Even I’ve played it. Tucker’s right, it’s fun. And besides-” She walked over and leaned close to his ear, whispering in a low growl, “I loved watching you dance in San Diego.”

Danny blushed, remembering how fun and…hot, it had been dancing on Tucker’s birthday at the end of their road trip. “Well, y-yeah,” he stammered. “But that was a party! This is… _organized_  dancing!”

“Hey, who says this isn’t a party?” Sam challenged, and pressed a button on a remote, causing a disco ball to lower down from the ceiling. The room suddenly got darker and colored lights started swirling around on the walls. 

Danny sighed, slouching further into his chair. “Fiiiine. You guys win…”

“Yes!” Tucker grinned. He’d been talking about this since he’d gotten back from his cousins’ place, and now, the time had finally come to show his friends the epic game that was  _Just Dance_.

He opened up the app on the device, setting it up to unlock all songs from his cousins’ account (which he got the password to only after an hour of begging and a promise for his mom to make her legendary cookies).

“ _Just_  to make it fair and interesting though,” Sam warned. “I think we should take turns choosing songs. Who knows what songs you like on this game.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I played, like, thirty different songs  _at least_  over the weekend!” Tucker defended, to which the goth rolled her eyes. “But alright. Newbies choose first.” He tossed the remote at Danny, who caught it at the last second.

He scooted off his chair and stood up, twisting his torso in an attempt to stretch it out. “Ugh. You know, I’m starting to think this is a prank to get me to look like a fool, guys.”

“And you have discovered our secret plot. Choose, ghost boy!” Sam laughed and munched on a handful of popcorn.

Danny let out a muffled groan of protest, but eventually chose, “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, seeing how it looked relatively easy. Sam and Tucker watched and laughed as he stumbled through the first part, but by the end, he’d seem to have the hang of it, and even dared to admit he did enjoy it, and was ready to keep going.

The next song, “Happy” (which Tucker chose) was multiplayer, and he let Danny hold onto the remote while he and Sam used their phones. Sam chose “Walk Like An Egyptian” after that, which earned “ _Are you kidding me?_ ” glares from the boys, who then proceeded to fail miserably at it while Sam’s flexibility and smooth movements sealed her victory.

The next hour or so consisted of the same process, with the trio rotating through for song choices and either sitting out or joining the others’ picks.

After a particularly intense, yet impressive display of “Rasputin” by Tucker, Sam took up the remote again and began scrolling through while the boys casually ate some pizza they’d ordered about twenty minutes ago, not paying her much attention.

All of the sudden, Sam broke into a huge smile and a fit of involuntary giggling. “Oh ho ho. I just found the next song for you guys. I think I’ll sit this one out.”

Danny and Tucker perked up, watching her sit down with a satisfied smirk, then glanced at the screen. Tucker nearly choked on his pizza.

Sam had chosen “Mambo No. 5,” which in and of itself was a great song, but the looks of horror on their faces came from the dancers on screen - ‘20s theme, a man dressed in a tuxedo and a woman wearing a long pink dress with a slit running up the side, with purple gloves and heels to boot.

“I call the dude!” Tucker cried out in a rush after the initial shock wore off.

What? Noooooo!” Danny protested, then walked over to his girlfriend, leaning forward on the armrests of her seat to plead with her. “Please, Sam, you can’t do this to me!”

“Hey, it was  _my_  turn to choose,” she returned, throwing a piece of popcorn at his nose.

Danny was miffed at the lack of remorse in her voice. “But I don’t-”

“Dance!” she commanded, then slyly added, “Or I’ll make you dance anyway  _and_  record it.”

Both boys groaned in defeat at that. Sam already had blackmail on them with the picture of them cuddling back during the whole gorilla fiasco. The last thing they needed was to  _add_  to that.

Begrudgingly, Danny and Tucker began the dance, and it was just as embarrassing as they expected.

And then the instrumental break came along.

Danny’s first thought was,  _Oh no_.

There was only a few quick seconds to make a decision, which Sam used to yell, “Just  _do it_!” amid a bout of background laughter.

It wasn’t even a fully required move, since the remotes were registering the movements of their right hands. Scratch that - it wasn’t even a  _dance_ move.

Too late to decide otherwise.

Tucker and Danny looked at each other in shame, and Danny forced himself to put his left hand out towards his best friend, his other hand going to his hip. In turn, Tucker leaned forward, cringing all the way until finally, his lips met the back of Danny’s hand. They avoided eye contact as soon as it was over, wincing at Sam’s hollering and continued laughter, which continued all the way to the end of the song, where Tucker had to dip Danny.

After the song ended, the boys glared daggers at Sam, until Danny remembered a crucial fact.

“Laugh it up, Sam,” he said as he tried to catch his breath from the dance. He then waved the remote around tauntingly. “But you seem to forget, it’s  _my_  turn to choose.”

Tucker snickered as Sam’s face froze, watching her boyfriend carefully.

“Let’s see…” Danny mocked, pretending to scroll through songs, even though he already knew exactly which one he had in mind for his revenge.  _Aha_ , there it was. “I’m sure you’ll love dancing to ‘Baby One More Time’ by  _pop_  star Britney Spears as a… _cheerleader_.”

“Perfect, dude,” Tucker approved, giving his friend a fist bump.

They both turned around to rub the song choice in Sam’s face, expecting to see the same terrified face they’d had just minutes before, but when they did, she was nowhere to be seen.

Somewhere deep upstairs in the house, however, they heard a distant, horrified scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this might be a little more self-indulgence. I literally played this game for like 2 hours everyday last month (which I need to start doing again). (Also Star Wars title because it fits the day’s number.)


	24. Phantom Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 6: Background Character

October 4th, 2004. Friday night.

Four points up. 8:17 left in the game. One more touchdown and tight defense would all but guarantee a win for Casper High.

Dash called for the “Buck Sweep,” an outside run play for Tristan. Standard play, practiced dozens of times.

But not with ghosts.

Tristan barely even had time to register what was happening. After the snap, he cut across for Dash to hand off the ball to him, his eyes set on an opening in the defense.

But right after the hand-off, his eyes flickered over to something odd - a gruesome-looking monstrosity of a ghost floating out of the 40-yard line and immediately flying  _inside_  one of the opposing tackles. A second later, Danny Phantom flew up out of the ground, his head whipping side-to-side in search of the hidden ghost.

There was no time for Tristan to stop properly. As if supercharged, the overshadowed tackle surged for him, head low. The ghost probably hadn’t intended to do it, just was simply following his momentum in an attempt to escape his pursuer. But it happened. Helmet collided full-force with knee, Tristan tripped and rolled over the player, and his right knee bent in the  _opposite_  way it usually did, swinging loosely in the air after him.

He screamed louder than he ever had, long after he had landed with several thuds on the turf. As much as he wanted to grab his knee, he couldn’t move, save to shove his suddenly-suffocating helmet off his head.

He could hear frantic shouts of “Get help!” and “Clear the area!” by his teammates in the distance. Looking straight up, he saw a series of flashing lights, unable to determine if they were from cameras or if he was just hallucinating from the pain burning through his leg.

God, his leg. He’d seen gruesome sports injuries before, and he was sure his fell right in with the worst of them. He started huffing out shreds of sobs, a panic washing over him that transcended the moment. His future in football was in severe jeopardy. Hell, his ability to  _walk_  was in jeopardy.

Dale’s face appeared over him, helmet still on. Wasn’t he suffocating, too? “He’s still conscious!” Dale yelled decidedly at the sidelines.

An eternity later the team’s medical crew and Coach Everett were surrounding Tristan. The team trainer carefully held his knee - apparently he’d been squirming around without even knowing it - and applied the slightest of pressures to stabilize him.

Coach patted his chest, and Tristan grabbed at his arm. “Just breathe, son. Don’t look down. Just focus on me and breathe,” he directed.

Tristan couldn’t stop himself from trying to bend forward and see what was going on - the trainer was feeling around his knee now to get a sense of things, and each little squeeze felt like hot lava splashing against it - but Coach pushed him back down. “Breathe, son,” he said again, this time with a little more fierceness.

He desperately tried to focus on Coach’s words, but the frantic huffs were still coming. Dale reappeared again, this time with Dash. They started trying to reassuring him, but the pain was starting to drown everything out.

Eventually the crew brought in a cart and a stretcher to take Tristan back to the locker room. It took five people just to bring him to his feet and help him hop on one leg ever so slowly to the cart, and then six people to carefully hoist him up onto the stretcher.

As they stabilized him for the ride, Tristan could hear the crowd applauding for him, and he hung his head. This wasn’t supposed to be happening, but that freak moment with the ghost had just changed his life.

Dash came over to him, draping a towel across his shoulders, and leaned forward to talk to him. “Hey, Flash, don’t worry. You’ll get through this, man. You’re strong. And we’ll win this one for you.” He gave an encouraging pat to the back of his teammate’s head, then walked off towards the sideline.

Tristan pulled the towel over his head and held it closed around his face. The cover gave him privacy, and he started crying uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking violently.

Behind him, he could barely hear one of the medical staff talking to Coach, but he heard what he needed to: “…doubt he’s ever going to play again.”

Tristan woke up in a sweat, his chest heaving as he tried to make sense of things. His room was pitch black, causing him to scramble for his phone on his end table from muscle memory. He turned on the screen and read the date: October 3rd, 2005. Friday morning. It had just been a nightmare flashback.

Again.

The injury had been freshman year, a year ago tomorrow exactly. And yet he’d only been able to walk normally again just recently.

His knee felt like it was throbbing, and he sat up on the edge of his bed, rubbing at it gently. He wasn’t sure if the phantom pain would ever go away.

The intangible side effects certainly never would. Several visits to different doctors and a few surgeries confirmed the worst: football was done for him. The good news of being able to eventually walk fully again had barely been a consolation prize.

It’d be the worst moment of his life, hearing that. He, Tristan Valstrom, had been one of the top prospective high school recruits in the nation, even just as a freshman. Coach had said he’d been the fastest running back he’d seen in twenty years, and that earned him the nickname “Flash” from his teammates (which incidentally fit the logo design on his favorite shirt he wore constantly). His future had been so promising: a football scholarship, even realistic talk of a being a possible high draft pick in the NFL.

All gone due to some freak ghost attack.

Tristan had been furious with both ghosts, but now his anger was just aimed at the monster one. Apparently after he caught the ghost, Danny Phantom had asked around if Tristan was okay and was devastated when he heard he wasn’t. Phantom was a good guy in his eyes, even after the whole town turned against him.

The other ghost, though, had become something of a scapegoat, especially when he’d gotten the list of his exact injuries.

That list had been like a death sentence, confirming everything he’d felt on the field. He’d memorized it long ago: torn ACL, MCL, PCL, and LCL. Drastic nerve damage. All from a full knee dislocation.

He’d had to modify his life drastically after that day. No more contact sports. No more quick cuts and movements. Light running only.

However, even though he couldn’t play anymore, he was more than determined to stay involved with football somehow. This year he’d resolved to become the team’s equipment manager so he could stay close to the action and still learn, with the new dream of one day becoming a team manager or offensive coach.

Tristan stood up from his bed, stretching his arms high over his head with a yawn. Today was going to be interesting for sure. There was no game, but the whole team knew tomorrow was the one-year anniversary.

Indeed the day was interesting, though not in the way he expected. When he got to his locker that morning, Dale came up to him excitedly and announced, “Party at Fenton’s house!”

Fenton? As in, Danny Fenton? The guy who only had two friends? “Dude, what?” he questioned.

Dale shrugged his shoulders. “Dash told me there’s apparently a party at Fenton’s tonight. You’ll be there, right? It’ll help get your mind off things.” He glanced down quickly at his leg.

Tristan thought for a second. A party definitely would distract him, and so long as he didn’t overdo it with the dancing, he would be fine. He nodded. “Yeah, alright. I’m in!”

“Awesome! We’ll get some burgers beforehand, too, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool! I’ll see ya in class then. I gotta go tell the girls about it.” Dale slapped him on the back and wandered down the hallway.

Tristan smiled, a little bubble of excitement starting to grow within him. Suddenly his Friday was looking a lot more enticing than he was expecting.

* * *

Later that night, Tristan was enjoying one of the best Friday nights he’d had in a while. Once he realized he could dance to his heart’s content as long as he didn’t jump much or do any sharp twists with his legs, he let himself get lost in the music.

Everything was fine and great, until things got interesting in a  _different_  way again.

Halfway through a song, there was a loud  _boom_  that shook the house, causing one of the ceiling lights to come crashing to the floor and nearly hit Kwan and a few other friends.

There were a series of screams, and everyone gathered around the light to see what was going on.

Another blast rattled the house. This one nearly toppled Tristan over, and he grabbed onto an end table to steady himself. He winced as his knee took the brunt of the impact.

Something was definitely going on, and another set of screams from  _outside_  this time seemed to be a clue.

Everyone ran outside, Tristan half-jogging behind them. When he caught up, he looked up with everyone else to see a bizarre sight. A giant pirate ship floated high above the neighborhood, and a dozen or so pirate ghosts were hauling away adults - no, their parents - up to the ship.

Paulina and Dash saw their parents, and heck, Tristan even saw his, which sent his heart into a rush. His mind started to go into planning mode. Ever since his injury, he’d tried to develop tactics on how to deal with ghost scenarios in case another one happened. He just hadn’t expected to ever need to use them, much less for a crisis of this magnitude.

Suddenly he saw someone in orange being pushed into Paulina and Star next to him, breaking him out of his planning mode. He must have missed something to have caused the push, but whatever it was, it didn’t warrant any justification.

He looked in the direction where the kid in orange had come from, and pinpointed the culprit. “Hey, man, what’s your problem?” he shouted, and suddenly he heard a bunch of voices rise up in argument around him. Apparently everyone was angry with each other. Everyone needed to calm down, though, or they would never–

A screech broke them all off, and everyone looked up at the top of Fenton’s house to see its source - Fenton himself, with a megaphone and flanked by his two friends. Tristan then realized he hadn’t actually seen Fenton at his own party until now.

“Listen up, people! If you want your parents back, you’re gonna have to follow my lead.” Fenton’s voice meant business.

“Why should we follow you, Fen-toad?” Dash shouted up at him.

“You’re right, Dash. Let’s follow the  _other_  kid who comes from a family of ghost hunters and knows how to work all their gear.”

Tristan could sense Dash’s annoyed grimace at being proven wrong from a mile away.

Fenton’s voice echoed over them once more. “No takers? Alright then, who’s with me?” He raised his fist high in the air.

_Finally, someone’s taking action_ , Tristan thought, and cheered with everyone else. They were going to save their parents.

Within half an hour, the plan of attack was ready and in full swing. Tristan, along with everyone else, was dressed in an orange hazmat suit and armed with what Fenton had called a “Jack o’ Nine Tails.” The important thing he’d been told was that it could electrocute ghosts into oblivion and also doubled as a staff to fend off attacks.

And so now the offensive team was standing on top of the Fenton family’s blimp (Tristan was truly amazed at the technology loaded into the house) flying high in the air, waiting for Danny’s signal.

“NOW!” he shouted, and everyone threw one end of their weapon (apparently it also served as a grappling hook-type device) at the mast of the pirate ship, then swung down through the raised ghost shield.

Tristan’s stomach was rolling on the ride down. He’d never been big on heights, but he knew he had to swallow his fear down for his parents.

He managed to kick down a pirate ghost on the way to the deck. But when he landed, his knee buckled and he faltered, sinking to the ground as tears pricked at his eyes.

Dash ran over to him, knocking out a ghost behind him then kneeling down next to him. “Hey, Flash, you okay?”

Tristan bit his lip, not looking up. He had to suck it up. The injury had been a freak thing, but he’d be damned if he went down when he had control of the situation. He steeled his face, and pushed off of Dash’s arm to stand up, forcing the pain down with a swallow. “Yeah, man. I’m fine.”

“Good.” Dash’s true quarterback-leadership skills were in full effect, making sure his teammates, even former ones, were accounted for. He then ran off to jump in front of Fenton, who was also down, and attack more ghosts.

Tristan surveyed the situation. There were one-on-one battles going on on both sides of the ship, and an opening right down in front of him - with a ghost charging right at him. All of the events of last year rushed back to him. He was on the football field again - seconds before getting injured - and suddenly this mission was about more than just saving his parents. He started charging at the ghost, a gleam smirking in his eyes.

This was about payback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, long story short, Tristan (who I included a picture of in the Tumblr version of this fic) is one of my favorite background characters (like I love him okay), and I figured this prompt was as good a day as any to introduce him. So, without further ado, meet Tristan 'Flash' Valstrom! The fic obviously explains more, but in general, he's like the best friend/groupie of the football team that was taken down before his true prime. Chill dude.
> 
> The first part of the fic takes place right after "Splitting Images," and the second part is during "Pirate Radio." Also, Dale is an actual canon character!


	25. No One Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 7: Amity Park

No one knew how to really react when it happened, the death of the Red Huntress.

Only a few brave souls who dared to be out of their homes had actually seen it happen, but news of the ghost hunter’s demise by the hands of the Ghost King, Pariah Dark, spread like wildfire over Amity Park.

It left the citizens shocked, at first. Then the weaker ones began to lose hope at an even more alarming rate than normal. Thirty days, an entire  _month_ , under the dome had played with peoples’ nerves, after all.

Damon Gray nearly had a heart attack when the news broke that the hunter’s true identity had been revealed to be that of his daughter, Valerie. People would have brought him condolence food where he was taking refuge at Fenton Works, but the whole town was trying to ration what little food was left.

Vlad Masters had been aloof since it happened. On one hand, Jack and Maddie Fenton couldn’t find an explanation for his apparent anger over it, finding it to be a bit of an overreaction on his part. On the other, the teenagers in the house who knew better were still surprised when he seemed genuinely solemn, even when there was no one around he needed to impress.

Students from Casper High, including Valerie’s former friends, were devastated and chilled to the bone. For all the ghost attacks that had plagued the town and school, they never had to deal with the death of a classmate, a friend, someone their age. They had to grow up and deal with the one thing they shouldn’t have had to for a long time.

And the ones who had been closest to Valerie in her final days, while not necessarily friends, were still taking it just as hard as the rest. Tucker Foley had been very despondent and almost seemed heartbroken, as much as he tried to be the strong one for others. Sam Manson, meanwhile, was full of regret, for unknown reasons, and seemed like she was furious but didn’t know who to aim that fury at.

Defeat seemed imminent now. King Pariah apparently had the ring he’d been after, and was now waiting for the townsfolk to give up and submit to him so he could rule both their realm and the Ghost Zone.

There was only one other hero Amity Park could possibly rely on now in its moment of despair: Danny Phantom. But no one had seen him since before Valerie’s death, save for one kid who thought he saw Phantom on a rooftop, hugging his legs close and shaking like he was crying. Only a few people knew he was mourning, broken beyond repair and blaming himself for what had happened.

Everyone else simply assumed the worst - no one was left to save them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today (mostly so I can catch up), but I’m particularly proud of it. :) This is kinda like an alternate ending for “Reign Storm,” I guess you could say.
> 
> Also, is anyone keeping track of the death count in my Phanniemay fics? (Or even injury count?) I have the over/under at 50% of the fics having a death. :P


	26. Catching a Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 8: Vacation

Danny couldn’t stop fidgeting.

He hadn’t meant to make it the focus of his and his friends’ little weekend getaway camping trip - no, that had been the rare transit of Mercury across the Sun - but somehow it had overtaken his mind and now it was all he wanted to do.

But at the same time he wanted nothing to do with it.

Because if he did it, he would want to do it again. And  _that_  was a can of worms he wasn’t sure yet whether he wanted to open or not.

Perhaps it was the cozy allure of the woods influencing him, or the wonders of the clear night sky. It would just go away when they got back to Amity Park, right?

Except the desire had begun in Amity Park, about a week ago.

Danny had given up on trying to pinpoint when or why it had started. Or why all his attempts thus far had failed miserably, and even more so why he still kept trying.

The first attempt, he, Sam, and Tucker had been at the river, wading around, skipping stones, and jumping across rocks. When he tried it, he slipped on a particularly wet rock and fell backwards into the river, just catching himself from breaking his head open by kicking in his ghost powers and floating just on the surface of the water.

The second attempt, which was during the first night around the campfire, was over before it could really begin. Danny oh-so-smartly stuffed his mouth with a pair of marshmallows that had  _just_  been roasting in the fire. The scalding and embarrassment kept him from doing anything too extreme for the rest of the night.

Half a day later, the next try came during a hike, but this time it was Tucker who stopped him by jumping up behind him after wandering off and coming back with the “incredible discovery” of finding a bird’s nest, completely oblivious to the situation.

Danny couldn’t take it anymore by the time that night came around. He didn’t want to be stopped anymore, and he definitely didn’t want to deal with the nerves for the rest of the trip.

He was still fidgeting like crazy as the three of them (well, two and a dozing Tucker) were laying on the ground, staring up at the night sky for some general stargazing. The stars were breathtaking, and the mood set by the sounds of the forest mixed with the music they’d put on was both encouraging and intimidating.

He weighed the pros and cons of it one last time. On one hand, he could mess up everything and create the most awkward scenario ever. But on the other, he was nearly certain that he wasn’t alone in wanting this, and that gave him an exaggerated sense of hope.

Screw it. It was now or never: he was going to kiss Sam.

Danny subtly turned his head towards Sam. She was looking straight up, a happy smile spread across her face. He closed his eyes. He could do this. In three, two-

Danny opened his eyes wide in surprise to see Sam’s face right in front of his nose, kissing him with a playful passion. He quickly shut his eyes again, not bothering to question anything until this wonderful moment was over.

All too soon, it was, but Sam was still hovering over him. With a sly smile, she whispered, “Beat ya to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff to brighten your day. :D
> 
> (Just pretend they've been strictly friends up to this point, ok? Shh...)


	27. Surfer Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 9: Water

Tucker had not lied.

Paddling out to the waves on a surfboard  _was_  the hardest arm workout Danny had ever done. It won out over everything, even hand-to-hand ghost combat.

Meanwhile, their instructor, Josh, was paddling next to him as if it was easier than walking. Danny grimaced and shook his head - now was not the time to be jealous. He needed to focus on the waves.

It was a perfect day to go surfing (for beginners), apparently. Nothing more than a light breeze had been blowing across San Diego all day, and the heat of the sun made the ocean a welcome refreshing activity.

Finally, Josh put up his hand and said, “Okay,” and Danny let his arms droop in the water, swinging them up every now and then to feel the smoothness of the bottom of his surfboard. He could’ve taken a nap right there, the sun and rolling waves felt so nice.

He looked up to stare back at the shore. San Diego was absolutely gorgeous from out here. He could make out rows of palm trees, and even see Sam’s distinct black hat and purple bathing suit and Tucker’s ridiculously bright orange towel that he’d insisted on buying.

Sam and Tucker had already had their turns with Josh for lessons. Sam had managed to stand up successfully twice and hold a wave for all of one second. Tucker didn’t do much better, having fallen off the moment he found any shred of balance during his tries.

Danny, on the other hand, seemed to be doing fairly “impressive,” according to Josh (though that didn’t make the killer arm workout out to the waves much easier to bear).

So, sure, he was using his ghost powers to keep his balance. He  _tried_  to make it  _look_  like he was a complete beginner (which he was), but it was too easy to let his mind take over and “correct things” when he felt like he was about to wipeout. To compensate, he’d taken to counting a little longer each run and falling off the board willingly so his “beginner’s luck” didn’t look suspicious.

This would be his fourth run, so he was going for 5-7 seconds.

“Alright, hot shot,” Josh began as they paddled in place casually. “This time, we’re gonna try turning.” Well, there went his count. “Let’s try heading more towards the shore where your friends are at.”

“Okay,” Danny said. “How do I do that?”

“Once you get your balance, just lean a little in the direction you want to go,” the instructor answered.

“Lean. Got it.” Shouldn’t be too hard. He and Valerie had shared her hover-board before, which included some intense, life-saving maneuvering twists and turns, so this was bound to be a piece of cake.

The two of them waited and chatted casually for about a minute, before Josh suddenly grabbed the end of his board. “Nice big juicy wave comin’! Get it!”

Danny started paddling like mad in the direction of the shore, a knot of anticipation bubbling in his stomach as he could hear the wave catch up with him. And then there was a rush as the rolling water lurched him forward at high speeds. Go time.

Thinking back to the shore where the trio had practiced the pop-up together, Danny grabbed the sides of his board and in one swift motion, brought his feet under him and sprung up, taking his stance with left foot forward.

There had been quite a bit of side jabs from Tucker and Danny towards Sam when they’d found out which foot was their dominant one. Danny and Tucker were both left-dominant, meaning they were “natural-footed.” Sam, on the other hand, was right-dominant, and therefore “goofy-footed.” Danny was sure Tucker was still teasing Sam on shore.

The balance came to him just as naturally as it had the first three runs, and for a few seconds, Danny let himself get lost in the feeling. It was almost as freeing as flying. He felt like he was literally standing on water, the only signs of movement being the breeze rushing past him and the water moving him forward, and the ever-so-subtle growth in size of people and objects on the beautiful shore as he got closer to them. If he didn’t have flying he would certainly surf more.

Okay, turning.

Ever so slightly, Danny leaned his body forward to the right, causing the surfboard to veer towards his friends. Man, he must’ve looked cool. Too bad he didn’t have a camera mounted on the board.

He let himself go for about four seconds, then fell backwards off the board, trying his best to make it look like he lost his balance by accident.

Only he picked the wrong moment to do so.

As soon as he was fully submerged in the water, he let out a yelp of pain. His left foot had hit a sharp rock and felt like it was burning because of the salt in the ocean.

Danny reemerged from the water, grabbing his board and scrambling up on it, and looked back at his foot. There was a long vertical cut running along the inside of his ankle, already bleeding. But what worried him was the noticeable flecks of green among the red. He must have been using his powers a little too much to keep his balance.

Josh was right behind him, riding a wave in himself. Danny couldn’t let him see his cut, so he sat up and straddled his board, ignoring how his foot stung.

The instructor splashed down next to him. “That was awesome, man! You swear you’ve never surfed before?”

Danny hid his smirk. “Not a day.”

“Well, keep it up and you’ll be hitting the big waves in no time,” Josh determined proudly. “Alright, wanna give it another go?”

Swinging his foot underneath the board, Danny shook his head and laughed. “I’d love to, but I think my arms might fall off if I go again. Gotta build up to it, ya know?”

“Ah, yeah. I get that. Alright, let’s go back to your friends then.”

Danny was thankful when Josh started to paddle ahead of him to shore, and he laid down on his board to follow. By the time they hit the sand, the stinging in his foot had subsided, but was replaced by a different annoying pain as sand started to cake his wet feet. At least the bleeding had seemed to stop for now.

The two of them wandered up to Tucker’s still-ridiculous towel, where Sam was under an umbrella eating a bowl of fruit and Tucker almost looked like he was napping in the sun. Danny nudged Tucker’s foot with a toe.

“Huh? Oh, hey!” Tucker said a little too enthusiastically. “You guys looked awesome out there!”

“Mmhm.” Danny rolled his eyes and turned to his girlfriend. “Sam?”

Sam chuckled. “You were hotter than the weather today!”

Danny winked at her with a grin. “Great, because that’s what I was going for.”

Sam playfully kicked up a bit of sand in his direction in response.

“Kid’s a natural,” Josh approved, then hitched his surfboard up further under his arm. “Alright, I’m gonna take these boards back up to the shack, and…I’ll be right back!” He seemed oddly amused with his rhyme.

Danny handed over his board and watched Josh walk away, then sat down on Tucker’s towel - not only was it orange, but it could effortlessly fit all three of them - and rubbed the sand off of his foot.

Tucker sat up, noticing the cut immediately. “Oh, dude. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Danny sighed. “I got cut on a rock on that last run. But there was a good amount of ectoplasm in it.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. I feel like it’s happening more and more these days, guys.”

“Danny…” Sam warned.

She didn’t need to say anything else. All three knew what the concern was: that the increase of ectoplasm in his blood might mean that he was becoming more ghost than human. It’d been a scary thought harbored in their minds ever since a fight with Skulker a couple months ago.

Danny shook his head. “Nah. Forget it for now. We’re still on vacation, and we’ll figure things out when we get back, alright? Besides, here comes Josh.”

That’s all Danny wanted right now - to focus on the rest of their trip, and Tucker’s birthday tomorrow. Because the truth was he was terrified of this turn of events between his two sides, and didn’t want to deal with it until he absolutely had to.

For now, though, he let his mind wander back to surfing, and a small smile spread across face. Danny hadn’t felt anything that new and freeing ever since he had first found out he could fly. He’d definitely have to try it again, only with no instructor so he could surf for as long as he wanted, maybe even try a few tricks.

And definitely have a chance to build up his arm strength first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I know I’ve hinted at it a couple times, but here it is in full force…SURFER DANNY!!!
> 
> (Consider it an in-depth look into the scene where the trio surfed in my Road Trip prompt. Totally not self-indulgence. Not. One. Bit.)
> 
> (Ok, but actually, besides the ectoplasm bit, this is pretty much how my surfing experience went, including being cut on a rock (yay scar!), but I was in Hawaii. With a hot Hawaiian guy for my instructor.) ;)


	28. A Ghost’s Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 10: Video Games

Tucker could’ve sworn he was seeing things. TV screens just didn’t flash a fuzzy green static like that.

He hit the back of his Apple TV remote against the back of his hand a couple times, trying to get it to work again and annoyed that his two-plus-hour gaming marathon of Pac-Man had been interrupted.

Before he could do much else though, the static started to swirl around in bits until they spiraled together to form none other than Technus.

“Ahahaha! Child! It is I, Technus! And with my supreme intellect, I will conquer this game!” Technus shouted out from behind the screen, admiring the intricacies of the game he floated in front of.

Tucker sighed and slouched back into his couch, unimpressed. “Seriously, dude?”

The ghost slumped his shoulders. “What?”

“This is the fourth time this week you’ve hacked the game I was playing!” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “I already told you no yesterday.”

“But you don’t even know what I’m going to ask!”

Tucker crossed his arms and raised an expectant eyebrow at his TV.

“Teach me to play-”

“No,” the teen cut off.

The first time Tucker had fallen for the ghost’s incessant begging had been for  _Paper Mario_ , and that was four hours Tucker wished he had back. Technus may have been pretty good at a online game of levels like  _Doomed_ , but  _Paper Mario_  had too many dimensions and sub-plots for him to keep up with. The next two times Tucker didn’t even bother to try and negotiate and simply turned off his TV and left. But this time, he didn’t feel like leaving Pac-Man just yet.

“Oh, come on, child!” Technus whined. He turned back towards the maze. “It looks hip, like me!”

Tucker snorted back a laugh. “You may have a point there.” The ghost’s vocabulary certainly belonged in the ‘80s like Pac-Man.

What happened next was almost comical. Technus almost seemed to pout, and stared longingly at the ghosts frozen on the screen.

Wait, ghosts!

Tucker grinned mischievously and sat up a little straighter, crossing his legs under him. “Alright…but this is the last time, man.”

Technus perked up instantly. “Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Excellent!” He looked back at the game again, then at Tucker. “How do I play?”

Tucker got up from the couch and walked over to the TV, pointing as he explained. “This one’s  _really_ easy. You’ll be one of these ghosts, and all you have to do is just chase me, this yellow guy, through the maze and try to catch me!”

Technus looked like he’d just found buried treasure. “You mean… _ghosts_  get to win this game?”

“Uh-huh.” Tucker held back a laugh.

“Interesting…then I, Technus, will totally catch you in no time! Aha!” With that, he zapped himself into the game, a green ghost appearing in the maze with Technus’ face on it.

“Game on,” Tucker said, and picked his remote up, pressing the “Resume” button.

The teen began maneuvering Pac-Man through the seemingly never-ending maze, eating innumerable pac-dots. Technus, meanwhile, needed no time to get used to the game and was soon hot on Tucker’s trail, though Tucker had experience and quick reflexes on his side. And then, he saw what he was after: a power pellet.

“Hey, Technus,” Tucker challenged as he got closer to his target. “Did I mention Pac-Man can eat the ghosts?”

“Wha-”

Technus’ voice was cut off as Pac-Man ate the pellet, and Tucker immediately turned him around to eat up the now-blue (and hilariously mortified) Technus.

With a smirk, Tucker asked, “Still think this is a ghost’s game?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’ve been playing a lot of Pac-Man lately, and I love the Techno Buddies ship. How could I not go with this?


	29. Annie, Are You Okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 11: Folklore

Annie was staring wide-eyed at the sky as Danny closed and locked the cabin door behind them. Numerous pink, purple, and green lights were dancing across the Oregon night sky to make up the Aurora Borealis that was captivating his five-year-old daughter.

“It’s pretty, Annie, isn’t it?” Danny asked as he caught up with her and nudged her to start walking with him.

“Ya,” she said, half-listening. Danny took her hand, guiding her along.

“Come on, kiddo,” he coaxed. “We’re gonna get even closer.”

Twenty minutes later, after a bit of hiking and a short flight (well, ride for Annie), the duo was sitting on the ledge of a cave opening they’d found earlier in the week. The cave was situated about two-thirds up the face of a mountain and provided a spectacular view of both the Northern Lights above and the valley below.

Danny was just as much in awe as Annie, but after awhile, he noticed her eyelids starting to droop in spite of her excitement, a testament to her young body’s need for sleep. He had an idea to keep her up though.

“Hey, Annie. Wanna know a secret?” he almost whispered, as if the night sky might hear.

She perked up a little, turning towards him and rubbing a tired fist over her eyes. “What?”

Danny stood up and then picked her up, moving both of them closer to the opening of the cave and standing now to face the lights. He crouched a little bit to her level. “Alright, the secret is…if you clap your hands, the lights will go away, and you’ll be safe.”

“Safe from what?” Annie asked, suddenly worried.

“Safe from the lights catching you, of course. But if you whistle, then they’ll come and take you away,” Danny explained, adding a dramatic flair to his voice. The young Fenton shrank back against his leg, and he chuckled. “Don’t worry. We just need to clap! Come on!”

He started clapping as if he was applauding the light show, and Annie joined in hesitantly. Save for their rhythmic waves, however, the lights refused to retreat.

“It’s not working! You’re just making it up!” she accused with a suspecting laugh.

Danny raised an offended hand to his chest, which earned another giggle. “Am not! Don’t believe me? Here, watch! I’ll whistle.” He stood up straighter and started whistling at the lights. A pause, and nothing happened. “I’ll try again.” More whistling.

Annie was about to call him out again, when all of the sudden, he began to glow and float up in the air, waving his arms around in a futile attempt to escape the pull of the lights. It almost looked like he was being sucked in by the tractor beam of some invisible UFO.

She gasped and shouted up at him. “That’s not funny, daddy! I know it’s just your powers!”

“No, really! It’s the liiiiiights! Help meeeeeee!” he wailed, floating higher and higher until he winked out of sight.

Annie stood there in shock, unsure of what to do as the celestial lights continued to dance as if nothing was wrong. If only she had believed her dad, she could have saved him with her own powers. But now she was alone in the wilderness, completely helpless and on the verge of tears.

“Gotcha!” Danny’s voice said suddenly, and his head popped out of the ground in front of her.

She screamed, mostly out of surprise and partly out of relief, as her dad flew up through the rock and bent down to swoop her up in his arms, spinning her around mid-air.

Danny squeezed her with a hug and laughed, teasing, “You don’t really think I’d let them get me without taking you, too, right?”

Annie giggled and gave him a playful shove. Up above, the aurora finally began to retreat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went with a little Native American superstition I found for this prompt, which is explained in the story. Also, how could I not go with that title? XD
> 
> Annie belongs to thickerthanectoplasm on Tumblr.


	30. Returned Favors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 12: Crossover

“Are you done yet?”

“Not quite.”

“You said that ten minutes ago.”

“Yeah, yeah. I mean it this time.”

“Heh. I doubt that.”

“Just hold tight. Or actually, don’t hold tight. Can you fly around again?”

Vlad Plasmius rolled his eyes at Ford’s request, but complied and floated up and around the cavern of a laboratory, nearly bored by the mundane task.

“You’re wasting your time with that book, Stanford,” the halfa pointed out, landing yet again and leaning against the rocky wall. “If you want research on me, I have dozens, no, hundreds of saved data files I’ve kept of myself over the years. I’ll gladly give them to you if you hurry this nonsense up.”

“You can’t rush this, Vlad. And besides, I can’t draw in all those files. This is much more personal.” Ford looked up at his test subject, then back down at his journal, scribbling another note and asking, “Now, on a scale of one to ten, what would you rate the destructive capabilities of your powers?”

“Ten, of course.”

“Really?” Ford raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

Vlad’s red eyes flared. “You don’t believe me? Hold that journal up and I’ll prove it.”

“Fair enough.” Ford shrugged, marking down Vlad as a category 10 ghost, as well as having a temper. “Alright. Last but not least, I need you to change back to human one last time.” He looked up expectantly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Plasmius let out a sigh of  _Finally_ , and straightened up, barely needing to concentrate as he transformed into billionaire Vlad Masters. He smoothed down the front of his jacket and walked over to the scientist. “Great. You have your research. Now it’s time to hold up your end of the deal.”

“I’m telling you, Masters,” Ford replied with a shut of his journal. “It’d be easier to just buy him a few good suits of his own. He’d leave you alone.”

“Are you kidding?!” he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. “I’m not buying that thief anything! You need to go upstairs right now and tell your brother to  _stop stealing my suits_!”

Ford chuckled. “Why not just get better security?”

“I  _have_. But the man is a mastermind at this! Anything I put up he somehow gets through!” The businessman’s eyes flashed red as a warning of his growing frustration. “ _Please_! Just go tell him to stop. It’s a nuisance.”

“Alright, alright,” Ford laughed casually, as if he was being coerced into playing a game. He turned to head towards the elevator, pocketing his journal in his coat and muttering under his breath, “Yeesh, you’d think a category ten ghost would be able to stop a thief.”

Ford ducked just in time to avoid Vlad’s ecto-blast zooming over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that! I actually wrote a fic for my Suits AU!


	31. Hot Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 13: Amorpho

Amorpho knew he’d gone too far this time.

What was supposed to be a simple prank on Casper High’s most popular jock (and a little spotlight time for Amorpho) was now going up in flames. Literal, actual flames.

Because when it came to actual dates, for all the good-looking people he could turn into, he really had no experience with romance.

All he had wanted to do was trick the oh-so-popular Paulina. Amorpho had caught her and Dash on a date at Nasty Burger, and when Dash had gotten up to use the bathroom, the ghost had blocked the door off to trap him and took over his identity to intercept his date. But everything fell apart when Paulina decided they should go back to her place.

They had ended up taking a dip in her hot tub, listening to some teenage noise on her stereo while surrounded by some fancy candle-lit lanterns. She still thought he was the real Dash, and therefore wasted no time cuddling up next to him.

Amorpho tried his best to subtly brush off each attempt: asking about Paulina’s day, trying to ask something intelligent about the music, even pointing out the nice, clear sky full of stars.

But she was persistent, and eventually, the ghost couldn’t be subtle anymore.

Paulina turned her head up to him again, a lustful glaze in her eyes. Amorpho had no more outs and could only try to back away and wriggle free as she leaned in, struggling but eventually succeeding in kissing him as he threw panicked mumbles of protest at her.

Amorpho was shocked at the kiss, having never been kissed like this before, or really, ever. It surprised him so much that his body reacted and involuntary reverted back to its normal faceless ghostly self so that when Paulina opened her eyes again, instead of seeing a carbon copy of Dash, she saw Amorpho.

The girl screamed in terror, immediately scrambling back. However, she didn’t notice how far she went, and ended up backing into one of the lanterns set up around the hot tub, the candle lighting the ends of her hair on fire.

The moment would have been comical from an outsider’s point of view, but for Amorpho, it was panic- and guilt-inducing. He looked around in a rush as Paulina tried to smother the burning flames, and did the first thing the came to mind: grabbing Paulina by the shoulders and pushing her underwater.

By the time Paulina reemerged from the bubbling water with a furious glare, Amorpho was invisible and already flying far, far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this was funnier in my head, but I wanna get caught up so bad so this is short. I’m proud of the idea though.
> 
> Also, kudos to whoever gets where the title comes from.


	32. Exotic Milkshakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 14: Season Three

Out of all the families he had ever served as a butler, the Fentons had to be the strangest one.

It’s not that Hobson didn’t like them, it’s just that, well, for one thing, they had turned the billiards room into a lab for researching  _ghosts_ (although he actually hadn’t seen them do one bit of science since they moved in). No one had been eccentric enough to change the purpose of that room for as long as he’d been there.

And then there were the boy’s milkshakes, definitely the most peculiar food he’d ever been asked to serve up. Hobson looked down at the counter full of ingredients he was making for the current round of “drinks.” Watermelon and marshmallows. He shuddered at the thought of them being blended together and set to work on chopping the fruit up.

The daughter, Jasmine, seemed to be the most normal of the family, Hobson could tell, but she was aloof. He only ever saw her when he brought her her meals in her private library, but besides her very polite acceptance and gracious smile, he didn’t see or hear much from her.

The wife, Mrs. Fenton, was certainly the more intelligent of the two adults, and besides her initial reaction of thinking he was an intruder, Hobson found her to be very nice. However, it was easy to tell that she (along with the rest of the family) was very new to having this much money. Not the first time he’d seen money go to a family’s head.

Mr. Fenton was a trying man, though. It was like he was  _too_  nice, yet too much of a…bumbler for Hobson’s numerous years of experience to tolerate together. And the way he talked about ghosts, well, the butler had to wait until he was safely out of the room before he rolled his eyes. It’s not that he didn’t believe in ghosts (because this was Amity Park, after all), but just the  _sheer incessant chatter_  was non-stop and, frankly, a little crazy-sounding on the frightening side.

And then, of course, there was the boy, Master Daniel himself. Besides the shakes, there was something… _unique_  about him. He quickly got bored with the thrill of so much money and even when he was having one of those abhorrent shakes or playing video games, there always seemed to be something troubling him, a near-permanent furrow in his brow.

It didn’t help that he and his friends seemed to be fighting. Hobson had seen Samantha and Tucker storm out angrily on a few occasions now, and  _thought_  he’d seen them again in Daniel’s room at one point, only to discover the very disturbing robots the teen had bought to replace them.

Hobson wasn’t sure what they were fighting about, but, butler or not, he didn’t want Daniel to be upset, or lose himself to the lure of money. He knew there was a good heart in him.

As he finished making the shakes and poured the mixture out of the blender into glasses, trying not to focus on the ingredients, Hobson decided he would try to talk to Master Daniel. Perhaps all he needed was a rousing pep talk from a loyal butler.

Or less disgusting milkshakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, but for real, the Fentons’ butler, Hobson, was one of the highlights of season three.


	33. Burn Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 15: Sci-Fi/The Mansons

It’d been twelve years since man had first landed on Mars.

Danny remembered where he’d been - at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, running systems check for that first crew’s spacecraft. Sam had joined him in the hoopla that had overtaken the mission control room (seemingly, the entire world) when the commander had made that two-foot leap down to the dusty red surface of the alien planet, ready to inhabit it.

That had been one of the most incredible days of Danny’s life, and certainly the most historic of the world’s existence.

Until this very second, that is.

Danny could only wonder if the scene right then at JPL was much like the one for the Mars’ landing. If anything, it would be bigger for man’s first step on  _Pluto_ , right? The feverish buzz of excitement in his headset certainly seemed to think so.

He let a childish grin overcome his face as he got ready to climb down the steps of his spaceship, refusing to let himself look out past the steps until he was firmly on the ground so he could see the planet from its own surface properly for the first time.

“You ready, Danny?” the capcom, Kenny, asked in his ear, billions of miles separating them. Still, the delay had been shaved down to just a few seconds thanks to improved technology from the Mars missions.

“You bet,” he answered, the bubble of anticipation swelling within him.

“Alright, the planet’s yours then. Your time to shine,” Kenny chuckled.

“Roger that.”

And then it was Danny’s second. All the training with Vlad, the sacrifices, the commitment, the  _dreaming_ , all of it had come down to this, the big pay-off. He wasn’t just an astronaut. He was  _the_  astronaut. The one with the right stuff to be deemed worthy of being the first to step foot further than anyone had in the solar system.

And on top of that, his powers were finally being seen as useful in the eyes of others. Sure, he probably should’ve felt used, but the way he saw it, he still got to go to space, and he  _knew_  he’d put in the years of dedication to get to this point. It just so happened his ice core made him the perfect choice to check out the freezing environment of the distant Pluto for any chance of a human colony, like on Mars. If successful, it’d be the next step towards developing interstellar travel. He’d be a hero, a pioneer.

Danny took a deep breath. He had the words ready in his head, and knew his whole entire home planet was watching, waiting. Time to carry on the tradition.

He let himself jump down, the cold, icy surface meeting the bottom of his boot. A chill went through him, more from the moment than the temperature. “That’s an even bigger leap for the solar system!”

Thunderous applause and cheers nearly deafened him, a whole world taking in the moment together. He’d done it.

Danny finally let his head tilt up, and a vast expanse of rock and ice met his eyes, with a range of mountains looming in the distance. Untouched by humans until now, and for now, it was all his. He couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. He had his own planet.

The next hour was spent exploring the immediate area, showing the billions back home the once-overlooked planet, and planting a world flag. As he was about to sign off, he reminded the world about what they can accomplish through peace and cooperation, and finished off with some words of inspiration for the kids.

As soon as the public telecast was over (at least for him), and it was just him and Mission Control, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Jeez, I think I was more nervous about talking to Earth than actually landing.”

Kenny laughed. “Hey, we’ll take it that way over the reverse any day. You did great, man. Now let’s get you set up to actually live there, hm? The Specter ship will be there any day with more supplies.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Danny cracked his shoulders, ready to get to work.

“Great! Then let’s start with Hatch A,” the capcom directed.

Within a few hours, Danny stood back and took a good look at his new home, the structure constructed with ease due to the help of robots and his powers.

“It looks pretty cozy, Kenny. Can’t wait for the housewarming party,” Danny joked.

“I’m sure this entire room alone would love to come to that.” Danny could hear him and a few others laughing in the background. “Anyway, you have a half-hour break right now to actually explore without the pressures of public speaking. Buuuut…we do have a few surprise guests for you to help you fill that time.”

Before the halfa could answer, an all-too-familiar voice called out to him, “Hello, Daniel.”

Danny smiled widely. He owed that voice a lot. “Hey, Vlad! How’d the landing look?”

“Marvelous, my dear boy. I could not be more proud of you or the hard work you’ve put in for this.”

He savored the words. Ever since he’d decided he truly wanted to be an astronaut, Vlad had been there to provide years of experience at NASA and in space itself, helping him to not only get in astronaut shape, but to hone his powers to be the most beneficial for the job after he’d blazed the trail as the first human-ghost astronaut. “Thank you, Vlad.” Danny had to hold back proud, happy tears. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” He began to walk to a clear spot just beyond his new habitat.

The older man practically beamed through the line. “Thank you, although I’m sure that’s not the only one you want to tell that to…”

“Yeah. Wait, wh-”

“Hey, Danny.” Sam’s voice. The love of his life’s voice. As far away as it was from him, he found it more comforting than anything.

“Sam! Hey, honey!” He let himself fall back and start floating, lounging mid-air. He felt like he hadn’t had a true break since he’d left Earth six months ago, and even though he’d talked to her on his trip there nearly every day, it felt different now that he was here, like he’d finally earned it. And he was ecstatic to share it with his wife.

They chattered for a few minutes about how they missed and loved each other, and how the landing and first steps had gone. Then Sam asked the question he was all too excited to answer, “How’s the view?”

Danny lifted his head from his horizontal position and looked around. “I’ll tell you one thing: you would definitely love it here. No concrete jungles, no pollution. They should have sent you instead.” They both laughed. “But seriously, it’s beautiful here. More than beautiful. There’s no words we’ve made yet to describe it. I’ve already picked out a few mountains I wanna plan expeditions for.”

“Sounds incredible,” Sam swooned with him. “What about the sky? Can you see the Earth from here?”

“Heh, no. At least not right now,” he admitted. “But Charon is like  _right_  there, and the sun is…well, it’s almost like the sky is the inside of a blue box, and the sun a tiny hole of light someone poked in it.” It reminded Danny of something Neil Armstrong had done on the moon, and he brought his hand up. “Oh man. I just brought my thumb out to block the sun, and probably the Earth, and it just really hit me that I’m blocking out every single human that ever existed.”

They both were at a momentary loss for words, before Sam joked, “That’s quite a powerful thumb you’ve got there.”

He snickered. “Hey, I still need my other thumb to block out the Martians.” From his viewpoint, the Red Planet was way off to the right in the sky.

“That’s true. Hey-”

Static suddenly interrupted Sam, followed by dead silence.

Danny tapped the side of his helmet. The connection must have been interrupted. “Sam? Sam, can you hear me?”

He waited a good ten seconds, but nothing. “Sam?”

When he was sure the call had been dropped, he pressed a few buttons on the side of his helmet to reset the connection. “Pluto One to Houston. Pluto One to Houston. Do you copy?”

Still nothing, not even static.

Danny shot upright, his feet once again landing on Pluto. A dropped connection was to be expected every now and then, but if it didn’t pick back up soon, there was a problem.

He called again. “Houston? Kenny? Anyone?” An idea struck him, and he tuned his suit to a different channel. “Mars, this is Pluto One. Do you read?”

A strong female voice answered him back, and he breathed an involuntary sigh of relief. “Pluto One, this is Mars. We weren’t expecting a test call until tomorrow.”

“I know, I know,” Danny explained. “But I’ve lost connection with Earth and I can’t reconnect. Are you guys able to reach them?”

“Let me check.” A minute passed as the woman did so. “I’m afraid not.”

Danny’s heart shot up his throat in alarm. The technology was too far advanced to fail like this on both planets. Something was wrong in Houston. “Alright, thank you. I’m going to try some different control centers now. Please let me know if you reach them. I’ll call back in thirty minutes.”

The woman agreed, and Danny changed stations again, trying different centers around the world - JPL, Cape Canaveral, Germany, Russia - as he went into his half-furnished habitat to use the larger radio station.

But as time passed, a gnawing feeling grew in his stomach. It was one terrible thing to think that Houston was being held hostage or perhaps had been attacked somehow, but the rest of the  _world’s_  centers? Unless some group had really planned an attack on a global scale, something eerily bad was going on.

It was finally time to call Mars back, and Danny was praying they had gotten word from their shared home planet. Yet all he got when he radioed them was that same chilling silence he was getting from Earth.

His heart and core were both thumping wildly now, and it hit him. Mars was in danger. Earth was in danger. Sam was in danger.  _Sam_.

Danny raced over to a window and stared achingly in Earth’s direction. The thought of Sam in trouble, and he not being there to save her, was sending waves of panic through him. The trained astronaut in him knew he needed to remain calm, but Sam and the ever-increasing possibility that whatever was happening seemed to be interplanetary were not helping.

That, and he was billions of miles away, all alone, and suddenly that fact didn’t seem as appealing as it had just an hour earlier. There was no way he could help, no way to find out what was going on.

The only thing he could possibly do was keep calling both planets in the hope  _someone_  would answer soon. So he did, keeping himself nearly glued to the stool at the station as he called over and over.

One hour passed. Then two, three, four.

Just after the fifth hour began, after many sent calls and still no answer, and a handful of theories as to what was happening, Danny finally realized what it was. Or rather,  _saw_  it.

He was sure he was just getting tired at first, since it almost seemed like it was getting darker outside, an impossibility since he was on a spot on Pluto that nearly always faced the sun.

But a trip back outside confirmed his suspicions. The sun, which was practically in the exact same spot as before, was  _fading_. It was like someone was squeezing the hole closed in the box.

That explained why he hadn’t heard back from either of the two planets. No communication system could survive without solar energy, and judging from how fast the sun was fading out as the last remaining remnants of light reached him, there hadn’t been much warning time. He wondered if it had hurt as he looked up at the darkening sky.

The sun had burned out. Earth and Mars, and all humans, had faded out.

And nowit was Danny’s turn to  _die_  out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I saw was “space” in the blurb for this day, and you know I wasn’t gonna pass that up. And, while it’s just Sam, I still cover both prompts!
> 
> This fic features an au I’ve made, the NASA Vlad AU. I still need to set it up, but it’s exciting to think this is the first fic for it! :D


	34. Not At First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 16: Red

Vlad Plasmius didn’t have red eyes at first. They’d been green, much like how young Daniel’s were in his ghost form.

Because the truth was, he never intended to be evil, at least not at first.

When he’d been hospitalized with ecto-acne, he was still a naive, yet brilliant scientific college kid who simply had been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time during a freak lab accident.

But when he left the hospital a couple years later, the cunning, evil Vlad Masters had a  _plan_.

He’d first realized he  _needed_  a plan when he discovered his ghost powers.

It’d been a late night, and exhausted yet unable to fall asleep, he walked into the empty hallway outside his room to burn off some energy. Or, rather, he  _phased_  into the hallway.

The action definitely woke Vlad up. He was positive it was a dream, and when he proved it wasn’t, he wanted to blame whatever the nurses had been pumping into his bloodstream.

He cautiously tested going back through the door again, against his better judgment, and was surprised that it wasn’t just fluke. He could walk through walls.

As Vlad explored his powers over many late nights of not-so-quiet testing and staring at his new green eyes in the mirror, he knew he had to do  _something_  with them, but wasn’t quite sure  _what_.

The answer to that came about a month after that first phasing through the door.

Maddie and Jack hadn’t yet visited him, which had been slowly crushing his spirits, but one day, his physics teacher had dropped by to check on him. Vlad asked him if something was wrong with his two friends, and the teacher laughed.

“Oh, not at all,” he said. “They’re actually engaged to get married now.”

_Married_. That woke Vlad up like a slap to the face.

No wonder they hadn’t visited. With him out of the picture, the two would only be around each other now. They’d forgotten him.  _Maddie_  had forgotten him, in favor of that  _oaf_.

That’s when Vlad knew  _what_  his plan was: to get Maddie’s love back, and remove Jack from the picture.

Even with that thought in mind though, he still didn’t see himself as evil. He was just driven by love, jealousy, and the pain of being left behind.

The evil streak came into play when he set about planning how to win Maddie back and what he needed to do for his future. He knew he needed to get money so he could be seen as successful, and that’s when it happened. Instead of thinking about getting into a career and becoming a businessman, his first thought was,  _I could rob a bank_.

It made sense right off the bat. With his new powers, it would be a snap to steal however much money he wanted, all without ever being seen. And  _then_  he could build himself up to be wealthy and famous and make a name for himself.

After a few days of planning how his first burglaries would go down, Vlad was about to settle into a night of practicing with his invisibility, but stopped on the way out of his room after he saw something  _different_ in his mirror. He doubled back and stared at his reflection. Usual suit, usual fangs, usual hair.

But new red eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just hit me this crazy ride is only halfway done. I miss sleep.


	35. Differing Taste Buds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 17: Food

Tucker hadn’t dug himself into this kind of torture in a long time.

“Sam, come on! There has to be something else I can do!” he begged, looking at the plate in front of him to his friend.

Sam firmly shook her head and leaned on one hand on the table. “You want the new software early, you gotta earn it.”

He gave a light sniff at the food in front of him and recoiled in disgust. “But I didn’t know it smelled this  _nasty_  up close!”

“It tastes better, trust me. Plus, I let you put a spoonful of barbecue sauce on it, so you’ll be fine,” she insisted, then leaned forward on both hands. “Now  _eat_  the tofu burger!”

“But it’s not a fair deal!”

“Oh believe me, I know. You’re lucky I’m not making you pay for half of the software as well.” Sam crossed her arms.

Tucker was about to protest, but shut his mouth again. She did have a point there, plus he was only really in this mess because he’d made some snide comment about veganism in the first place. But that didn’t make the situation any better.

“Can’t I at least add more sauce?” he tested.

“ _Eat the burger, Tucker_ ,” she deadpanned.

Tucker winced at her tone and sighed. There was no getting out of this. With one last mumble about it “not being a real burger,” he picked up the… _sandwich_  and tried to focus on the sauce dripping down the sides. He even licked a little bit of it before going in for a bite, hoping to cover up the taste just a little.

It didn’t work. The one bite alone was worse than that one time he had to eat all those blood blossoms combined. Tucker made a mental note to never insult Sam’s vegan ways again.

He looked up at her with pleading eyes, to which she just shook her head again, and very reluctantly, he swallowed, trying not to gag. Almost immediately he reached for the glass of water she had allowed him, yet it did next to nothing to get rid of the aftertaste. His tongue was in hell.

Okay, one bite down, though it didn’t even look like he had put a dent in the burger. This was going to-

“Wait!” Sam suddenly exclaimed. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and aimed the camera at her friend. “I need to record this to show Danny.”

Tucker glared at her. “Saaaaaam…”

“Just keep going,” she gestured, hitting the record button.

He groaned. The things he did for his friends and technology…

One agonizing half-hour later, the deed was done. As soon as Sam was satisfied with his completion and gave him the clear, Tucker raced to her fridge and looked for something that would drown out the taste. He eventually settled on two cans of cola and started chugging one of them down.

Sam couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his reaction. “It wasn’t  _that_  bad.”

After a long swig, he answered through heavy breathing, “Says you. I’m a carnivore. I’m not built for this kind of culinary torture. I don’t get how your taste buds aren’t numbed from eating that stuff.”

She chuckled and put her phone away, then patted him on the shoulder. “Eh, I guess I just have stronger taste buds.” He glared at her while sipping his drink, and she laughed. “You did fine, Tuck. I’ll go get the code for the software from my computer now.”

Sam walked out of her kitchen and went upstairs. As soon as Tucker heard her bedroom door, he yanked his phone out of his pocket and called home.

“Tucker?” his mom’s voice asked with concern. He very rarely called anymore, usually opting for texting instead.

Tucker cleared his throat, grimacing at the still-lingering aftertaste in his throat. “Mom, I need a hamburger with all the meat you can manage when I get home, stat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah…of all the days I wanted to get ahead on, or at least finish on time, it was this one because I suggested this prompt! :P (And then of course I forgot my original idea for it. But I like this one too.) Also, 17 is my lucky number, so yay!


	36. Hand Over the Map

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for body horror.*
> 
> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 18: Frostbite

Frostbite was halfway back to the caves when the alarm rang.

He’d been inspecting an avalanche slide on the outer edges of the Far Frozen, but when that shrill bell sounded, he began to run as fast as he could back to home base. A flurry of thoughts began to pour into his mind as to what the trouble could be, but none of them even compared to what he found when he reached the edge of the village.

About a dozen of his people laid in the central clearing. Some were injured and struggling to sit up or bravely help others, while others laid motionless in neon-green snow.

Frostbite’s core thudded in his chest. Someone, or something, powerful enough had just harmed his village, and he hadn’t been around to protect them.

A blast from one of the caves caught his attention. He realized it was their “Treasure Cave,” the home of the Infi-Map, and raced towards it. He was determined to stop and catch the intruder if they were still there before they could harm anyone else. Or steal the map.

He ran all the way towards the back of the cave, but stopped when the Infi-Map’s golden treasure chest came into view. All around it, more of his brothers laid still on the ground, losing more ectoplasm than they could afford to lose. Above one of them, eyes glazing furiously and feet giving one final swift kick to their innocent victim, stood Vlad Plasmius.

Frostbite narrowed his eyes in accusation. He remembered the last time he’d met the older halfa, and how he and a few others froze him to get back their Infi-Map. Fortunately the item was still in its chest, able to be unlocked only by Frostbite and a few others.

Still, the snow creature wasted no time in zapping Plasmius with a blast of ice, freezing him on the spot. He may have been able to overpower his victims somehow, but Frostbite had the element of surprise on his side. Now he just needed to lock Vlad up quickly and help the others.

Suddenly an ecto-blast hit Frostbite in the back with enough force to send him crashing to the ground. He could already feel the ectoplasm pooling into his fur, and he growled in pain.

“Ah, nice try, Frostbite,” Vlad’s voice rang out. His form came into view as Frostbite turned over. “I figured out of all the snow-freaks here,  _you_  would be the only one smart enough to spot a duplicate. Shame. Guess I was wrong.”

“Leave now,” he ordered. “You’ve done enough damage already.”

Vlad floated closer to him, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Ah, but I haven’t gotten what I came for yet, and I need you for that.”

Before Frostbite could even process his movements, Vlad shot a hand out and fired a stinging ecto-blast that seemed to stun him. Another duplicate appeared above his shoulder, a plasma sword materializing in his hand.

Frostbite couldn’t dodge it in time. With one swinging  _thwack_ , the duplicate chopped his left arm off at the shoulder.

Snow fell from the cave walls as he roared and howled in pain. He could barely register what Vlad was doing it hurt so unbelievably bad. Yet he continued to watch as the halfa reabsorbed his duplicates and lifted the decapitated arm of ice over to the golden chest on the stand, using the hand to unlock it. The arm was then tossed aside like a wrapper.

Vlad lifted the map out of the chest and beamed. “Finally! I have the Infi-Map! And there’s no one to give you a hand to stop me.” He laughed smugly to himself at the pun.

“No one except me, Fruit Loop.”

Frostbite and Vlad both whipped their heads towards the cave opening, where Danny Phantom floated. In one fluid motion, the teen sent a blast of ice in Vlad’s direction, much like Frostbite had, only his target was able to avoid it this time.

“Oh  _puh_ -lease,” Vlad muttered. “I have the map now, Daniel. Give it up.” He unrolled the map wide in front of him, and it lit up as he gave it directions. “And to that I say, good-bye frozen wasteland, hello VladCo satellite in space!”

The map glowed brighter and zipped off down the cave opening with Vlad in tow. Danny could barely graze him in an attempted grab, He grit his teeth with a frustrated noise, but turned back around and settled near Frostbite’s side.

“Frostbite, are you okay?” Danny asked, trying to figure out how he could help.

The creature pushed him away with his good arm. “I’ll be fine, Danny Phantom. But you need to stop Plasmius and get the map back.”

The teen glanced down at the puddle of ectoplasm on the ground. “But your arm…”

“I’ll be fine. Just go get the map and bring it back. Go, before the map’s portal closes!” he urged, mustering a reassuring smile for him.

Danny stood hesitantly, and then floated up into the air in a moment of decision. “I’ll be right back to help you guys,” he affirmed.

Frostbite watched him speed off in pursuit of Vlad, then closed his eyes in pain and exhaustion. He was confident Danny would return victoriously with the map and save them.

After all, he was the Savior of the Ghost Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well look at that! I’ve gained a day back, all while managing to make this little scene-insert that could be both a prequel to “Phantom Planet” and a way to either avoid it entirely and/or make it tons better, potentially.


	37. Tonight He Is Victorious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 19: Favorite Outfit/Redesign

In Vlad’s opinion, his college reunion party was going very well, even with Jack dancing like the embarrassment he was. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and people were impressed with his mansion and the massive wealth he had accrued over the years.

Most importantly among those people, however, was Maddie.

Sure, the Fentons had already been there for a few days and they had talked, but at the party, Maddie could truly see how people admired his success, and hopefully, she would be intrigued.

Plus, he’d finally gotten his new suit tailored and was feeling sharper than ever. His confidence was at an all-time high. Now it was time to put it to the test.

That time came when he finally got a chance to speak to Maddie alone for the first time since the party started. He caught her in the hallway, looking over his wide collection of Packers memorabilia. With a deep breath, he checked his tie and took several calculated strides to her side.

“It’s quite a bit of gear, isn’t it?” Vlad nearly whispered in her ear, then straightened up next to her.

Maddie jumped at his voice, but turned to him with a humorous smile on her face when she realized who it was. “Oh, hi Vlad.” She swept her eyes over the display case and gave a nod. “It certainly is. Do you still have that Packers sweater you used to wear in college all the time?”

Vlad bristled at her choice of question. He definitely still had that sweater, though not just as another keepsake of his fanatical ways, but as a reminder of the day he’d gotten his ghost powers. He even still had the lab coat he had on over it. He doubted she remembered that detail though. “As a matter of fact I do, though it’s stored away. I’ve outgrown it.”

Her eyes glittered fondly at the memory of it and she said, “Well, I’m sure you’ve bought many more since then.”

“Indeed I have,” he answered, and after a moment of hesitation, decided to voice the lingering thought in his head. “You know, perhaps I’ll wear one of them when the season starts back up, if you would like to come back up here and accompany me to a game? I’ll even get you one, too.”

“Oh, that sounds fun! I’m sure Jack and the kids would love that!”

Vlad’s heart fell a little at Jack’s name, but he tried to focus on the positive that she would be there as well. He had to take his victories with her where he could get them. Even now, the fact that he had this time alone with her meant the world to him.

He took a sip from his glass of champagne, the bubbles burning his throat. “Ah, yes, Jack. Where is he anyway?”

His monotonous tone at his old friend’s name received a questioning raise of the eyebrow from Maddie, but she shrugged it off and turned back towards the party room. “He’s introducing Danny to  _everyone_ , bragging about him and all.”

Indeed, Jack’s bulky frame caught his eye at the center of the room. He towered over his son, who looked mortified as his dad’s mouth seemed to be moving at an incredible speed to a group of old classmates.

Vlad found it odd Maddie was not with them for that, and he turned back to her. “What about you? Are you not enjoying yourself?”

“No, I am. It’s a wonderful party you’ve put together! I just needed to get away from the noise for a little bit is all.” She raised her glass to her lips with a comfortable smile and took a small sip. Vlad had to stop himself from staring.

“Ah, understandable. Well, I’m glad you like it.” He took another sip of his own, and dared a peek at her attire. She looked incredibly stunning in her teal dress, and he mustered enough of his confidence to tell her, “By the way, you look absolutely marvelous tonight, my dear.”

Maddie blushed slightly, much to his delight, and gave him a gracious smile. “Why thank you, Vlad.” She darted her eyes at his suit. “You’re looking very handsome yourself.”

Now it was Vlad’s turn to blush, though he tried to hide it by looking down and smoothing a hand over the front of his jacket. “Thank you,” he returned, looking up to catch her gaze.

She looked away quickly when their eyes met, and he could’ve sworn he saw her blush even more. Suddenly, the mood in the air shifted from casual to something more…electric. It reminded Vlad of what had almost been in college between them, and of what he had been yearning for all these years since the accident took that away.

Maddie was the first to speak up. “I, uh, should probably go save Danny from any more embarrassment.”

“Right, right,” he nodded, playing with the stem of his glass. As quick as it was, he was distracted by the rush of adrenaline the moment had given him.

She turned back to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch. Then, without warning, she reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek, before giving him a warm, friendly smile and heading back into the party.

Vlad watched Maddie go, bringing a disbelieving hand up to his stunned face.

She had kissed him. Regardless of it probably being platonic in the end, Maddie, the love of his life, had kissed him, Vlad. That, combined with the electric moment right before, nearly stopped his heart, yet put him on cloud nine.

When she disappeared from his sight, Vlad calmly walked down the hallway and, when no one was looking, he phased down into his lab, where he was sure no one could hear him. Then, with a quick reassuring glance that no one, including ghosts, was watching him, he floated gleefully up into the air with a flip and shouted, “ _YES_!”

This wasn’t about  _taking_  a victory. No, tonight, with that kiss, Maddie had  _made_  him victorious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so technically my fav outfit is Technus 2.0′s (followed by some of the background characters’ Ember merchandise outfits, including Tristan’s…), and Vortex has a pretty rocking’ outfit. It’s a well-dressed show, alright? But I figured I would throw Vlad a bone (bc man, I love that suit…).


	38. Winter Monsterland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 20: Snow

Vortex despised the Christmas Truce for the most part.

While most ghosts saw it as a time to set aside their differences and relax their powers, he still had to use his.

Normally, he would be thrilled at the prospect of someone asking him to use his powers. Heck, the first time they told him he would get to use his powers at the truce party, he felt special for getting to do so.

But then he found out what they wanted: snow.

It wasn’t that he hated snow (quite the opposite in fact). But he was capable of producing the most powerful snowstorms on the face of the planet, and all his fellow ghosts wanted was for him to create a festive “winter wonderland.”

It felt degrading. Humiliating. Wasteful, even.

A few minutes before the party migrated outside, Vortex was asked to go out, create a couple feet of snow to  _play_  with, and then let the white stuff start drifting down lazily. He didn’t bother to wait around to see everyone’s cheerful faces. Instead he flew up to the top of his snow cloud floating mindlessly in the emptiness of the Ghost Zone and lounged back, his arms folded underneath his head.

This was far from how Vortex truly wanted to “celebrate” Christmas Eve.

He would’ve been fine with just attending the party normally, but his current chore only served to remind him of what he was really missing out on.

If it were up to him, he’d be going around the Earth, wreaking havoc with massive blizzards left and right to spoil the humans’ fun. It would be a perfect opportunity to flex his powers while the world’s attention was focused on the holiday so that his incredible weather would forever be associated with it.

But instead he was stuck at this party, being treated like a tool instead of a guest. Besides the request for snow, no one had even really talked to him all evening. If he had really cared, he would’ve felt lonely.

Vortex’s mind drifted back to reality from his daydream, and suddenly, he realized it was all too quiet down below. He peeked through the bottom of his cloud, and instead of seeing ghosts having snowball fights or making snowmen, all he saw was an empty field of white with footprints tracking across it.

So, they had used his powers and then didn’t bother to tell him when they were done? Vortex’s fury grew exponentially. He wished they were still out there just so he could unleash a few lightning bolts on them.

Infuriated, Vortex turned back over, a plan for vengeance already formulating in his head for being treated like this.

Only he was shocked to see all the party guests suddenly surrounding him, each one armed with a snowball and a mischievous, but friendly grin.

Vortex subtly braced himself and raised a questioning eyebrow, to which Skulker answered from the middle of the group, “We just have one thing to say…”

Together, everyone shouted, “Thank you, Vortex!”

The weather ghost perked up at the gratitude. So they  _hadn’t_  forgotten about him! He began to smile and was about to say something in reply, when Youngblood, his snowball nestled in his slingshot, playfully yelled, “FIRE!”

Vortex could only laugh in relief as dozens of snowballs bombarded him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta get Vortex in somewhere in this month! :)


	39. Monster in Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 21: Monster

It was the same story, everyday and every single night.

He was sure it would come on any second. They’d promised.

Only…he’d forgotten who  _they_  were. His parents? Some old TV guide? The social worker? Somehow all of them blurred into one indistinct face:  _they_.

Heck, at this point he didn’t even know what would come on anymore. Was it his favorite TV show? Or a cartoon, perhaps? Did he remember what his favorite show was? Nothing came to mind.

All he knew was that if he kept an eye on his television, kept watching the static crackle over the screen, eventually his show would come on. All of his blocks and toys could wait until then.

Maybe he was waiting for a special Saturday morning cartoon! That was a thing, right? He was pretty sure it’d been a Saturday when the nice old lady had stopped by to pick him up. That sounded right.

He’d been told to wait in this room while  _they_  left to take care of something. Just wait and watch TV. They’d be back. Right after his show.

He could see the door in the reflection above the static. When  _they_  came back, he’d know instantly.

One time, the door opened. Except…his show hadn’t aired yet. It couldn’t be  _them_ , and as the door opened wider, it definitely wasn’t  _them_. He still couldn’t remember their faces, but  _his_  face in the reflection was definitely not one of  _them_ , he knew that much.

_He_  was dressed in black, and had white hair and a funny device on his head. Too young, too  _new_  to be  _them_.

He cast a side-long glance at the intruder with a frown when the door closed. If  _he_  wasn’t  _them_ , why was  _he_  still here?

After a moment, he refocused on the TV, his expectant smile returning. The intruder would leave. He better.

Except he didn’t. Instead, he just started asking some nonsense question about a present. The intruder wasn’t leaving.

And now he was mad. He’d been told to wait for someone to get him  _after_  his show. So why was this  _creep_  bothering him and interrupting that for some  _present_?

The intruder should have left when he had the chance.

With a sinister 180-degree twist of his head and a vicious growl to glare  _him_ down face-to-face, the flame had been sparked. He reached inward towards his fury and unleashed the monster within, letting the anger wash through him as he grew incrementally in size and ordered, “Get…out…of… _my_ … _room_!”

He could see his shadow towering over his room, dwarfing the intruder, and he reached his arms up for added effect. He then let out a deafening roar, which made the intruder stammer out, “Sorry! Sorry!” and sent him scrambling for the door. Finally.

After he returned to normal, he sat back down in front of the TV and crossed his legs, staring at the static once more. He was determined not to move his spot again until  _they_  got here. No one else. He would know.

And to anyone else who dared to disturb him, the monster within would take care of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was very fun to write this kid! (For those of you who don't recognize him, this is the monster kid from "Prisoners of Love." There's a picture of him on the Tumblr version of this story.)


	40. Volley Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 22: Star

Paulina was going to kill her.

Star knew it was coming. She’d done too well to have it  _not_  happen. Once Paulina heard about it, she was done for.

And yet, Star couldn’t help but smile as she took a picture with her phone of the piece of paper taped hastily to the gym door. Her name was there on the list, third one down.

Star had made the volleyball team.

She’d only told one person she was trying out - Kwan. He was the only one she’d figured would be 100% supportive of it, and also wouldn’t tell anyone, namely Paulina.

As for the girls at the tryout, she didn’t really know them and they were out of Paulina’s social circle, so them telling anyone in the twenty-four hours in between the end of tryouts and the posting of the new team on the door was a slim risk she’d been willing to take.

Although, she’d certainly given them all the reason to start talking during the school day. The coaches had told Star she’d killed it after the tryouts, and the student-equipment manager had hinted that she was practically a shoo-in with her skills, especially her spike.

Once she had taken a good minute to just enjoy the accomplishment on her own, Star headed out to the parking lot, where Kwan was leaning against his truck waiting for her. Upon seeing her, he pushed himself up with one foot against the bumper and met her halfway to give her a hug.

“Sooo…?” he asked expectantly.

Star held her phone out for him with the picture of the list zoomed in on her name. “I got on!” she squealed with delight.

“Aaawesoome!” Kwan sang out, picking her up and spinning her around, which made her laugh.

After a few minutes, they both got in the truck and Kwan began the drive to the Sanchez house. Star knew her friend was going to be mad, but this was something she wanted to do.

When they got there, Star told Kwan, “Stick around for a few minutes. I have a feeling I won’t be too long.”

“Fine by me,” he said, turning on some music and leaning back in his seat, arms nestled under his head.

Star rolled her eyes and got out to walk to the Sanchez’s front door, giving it three sharp knocks. Paulina opened the door almost immediately, an angry scowl on her face. “I take it you saw the news?” Star tested.

“You think?” Paulina snapped as she crossed her arms. “I walk past the gym door everyday after my last class.”

“And…?”

She threw her hands up angrily. “I can’t  _believe_  you’re ditching cheerleading!”

Star bristled. “Okay, look, I’m not  _ditching_. It’s just-”

“You’re ditching.”

“I’m  _not_  ditching. Look, I’ll be back to the squad in the winter and spring! Volleyball’s just during the fall.”

Paulina raked a critical eye over her friend and contemplated quietly for a second, then remarked, “You didn’t even ask me.”

Star shrugged. “I didn’t think I needed to.”

“I’m the squad’s captain. Of course you need to.”

Now it was Star’s turn to narrow her eyes. “Not really. The only reason I didn’t  _tell_  you, or anyone for that matter, is I didn’t want to get everyone worked up in case I didn’t make the team.”

“Too late,” Paulina backfired.

“Oh come on! Look, you’ve seen me play volleyball before. People say I’m good, and I really like playing. So I figured I would tryout since it’s my senior year and all.”

“And meanwhile, that leaves the squad down a cheerleader.”

“But  _I’ll be back_. It’s just for this season. And hey! If I have some free days, I’ll try to drop in and get a few practices in with you guys to stay sharp, okay?” Perhaps that would placate her friend, she hoped.

Paulina stood resiliently with her arms crossed and looked her over again. “Good luck convincing the others,” she finally declared with a resolute slam of the door.

Star sighed and shook her head, turning around to walk back to Kwan’s truck. It was going to take time to gain Paulina’s support on this, and she knew the rest of the squad would go with whatever the captain said to keep their place on the team, so it was just the one. All she needed was a little time.

One thing was for certain though: Star definitely wasn’t going to give into Paulina’s will this time. Not again. She’d made the volleyball team, and she was going to play for no one else’s happiness but her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out way longer than I intended, but ah well. I’m happy with it. :)


	41. Save the Date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 23: Dragons

Dora sighed wearily to herself. Getting a date for the ball was more difficult than she had expected, and time was quickly running out.

She’d search most of the Ghost Zone by now, but either her choices weren’t up to snuff for a “proper princess” or they rejected her. She still didn’t fully understand why she needed a date at all. All she wanted to do was dance.

Nevertheless, her current stop in her search for an appropriate boy was the Ghost Zone’s own Casper High School. When she first entered the building, one look told her that the place seemed to be stopped in time, much like her home kingdom. Perhaps there was some hope for success here.

Before Dora could really look around, however, a scrawny-looking kid with a bowtie and glasses rounded the corner and ran right into her, knocking them both to the floor.

Dora was dazed momentarily. She distantly noticed the boy start to scramble back away from her, glasses askew, until his back hit a strong-looking pair of legs, making him freeze. She followed them up to see three taller boys in leather jackets towering over him, staring him down.

The middle one reached down, grabbed the scrawny one by the scruff of his collar, and pulled him into the air, leaving him swinging and missing in a fluster.

“We told you  _not_  to run, Poindexter,” he pointed out. “Now, we have to teach you a lesson.”

The boy, Poindexter, began to cower and cringe as his holder balled his hand into a fist and pulled it back while his friends snickered cruelly, making Dora’s mind kick in. She floated up quickly off the ground and yelled, “STOP!”

The three bullies and Poindexter looked her way, and she glared at them while holding a strong stance.

The one on her left took a step forward and crossed his arms. “Why should we?”

Poindexter caught her eyes, and she could she the raw fear in them. If she hadn’t stop them he would be getting the ectoplasm punched out of him right now. Dora took a bold step towards the group herself. “Because you don’t want to know what will happen if you don’t.”

The trio laughed immediately, muttering, “Oh brother” and “Yeah right.”

That was all the invitation she needed. This situation wasn’t going to resolve itself unless she did it.

Dora closed her eyes and let the fury of their violent and disbelieving ways overcome her mind, her body, channeling from the amulet around her neck. When she opened her eyes with a flash of red, she could feel her limbs morphing into more powerful, scaly ones. Her nose elongated into a snout, and horns, wings, and a tail stretched from her body.

The bullies stared in shocked awe at the dragon standing before them nearly filling up the entire hallway. Her mouth curled into a satisfied smirk as she saw one of them shake at the knees.

“Put. Him.  _Down_ ,” she bellowed. When they hesitated to move, she crawled a foot forward and roared right in their faces. That seemed to get them moving again. The middle bully dropped Poindexter with a thud, and all three of them took off around the corner screaming.

It took Dora a couple minutes to calm down and return to her normal form. When she did, she found herself on her hands and knees on the floor, recovering from the massive energy toll being a dragon took on her afterwards.

“Thank you,” a nasally voice suddenly said above her. She glanced up to see Poindexter standing in front of her, a timid hand reaching out to her.

Dora grabbed his hand gratefully and stood up with his help. “That was a terrible thing they were doing. They had to be stopped,” she explained.

Poindexter shoved his hands into his pockets and focused on his shoes. “I know. But most people don’t help, so thank you.”

Something in her core twitched in shame at what he said. Why had no one helped him before? She shook her head, then looked back up at him. “You’re welcome, Poindexter.”

“Oh. It’s Sidney. Sidney Poindexter,” he corrected. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Dora,” she answered. For some reason, she didn’t want to disclose her title of princess. It felt okay to act normal around him.

“Dora, what a swell name,” Sidney tossed around. “Well, Dora, I have to skedaddle to class right now, but thanks again!”

Dora bowed her head in response and watched him start to walk away, but then a quick thought crossed her mind and she remembered why she’d come to the school in the first place. “Wait! Sidney!” she called out to his back.

He spun around at his name and gave her a peppy, “Yeah?”

“I was wondering…there’s a…dance coming up soon. Would you like to go with me?” Out of all the boys she’d asked so far, he had the one quality she actually really cared for: chivalry.

Sidney’s whole face brightened at the question and he replied with, “Yeah, I’d like that!”

He spun around several times and pointed at her with a grin, making her laugh. Perhaps having a date to the ball wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve never been a huge fan of dragons, but then this idea happened and I think I like them a little more now. ;P For the record, this happens before the events of “Reign Storm” at some point, but after “Prisoners of Love.”


	42. Pretty Young Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 24: Music

Maddie and Jack were as content as two scientists could be. It was a calm Friday evening, with Danny and Jazz spending the night at friends’ houses, meaning they had the entirety of Fenton Works to themselves. The couple had plans for a movie and a nice big bowl of popcorn later on the couch, but for now, they were having a very carefree time working on experiments in the lab.

The best part was their new Fenton Stereo. It would filter out any harmful spectral music  _and_  play songs off of their computers and phones. Maddie’s music library was currently plugged into it and set to shuffle all songs so they could focus continuously on their work.

Well,  _almost_  continuously.

Maddie was particularly intrigued by a hyperactive ectoplasmic residue sample when she felt two large hands slink around her waist, pulling her closer to their owner so they could sway back and forth together.

Suddenly, the music hit her ears, and she smiled as she processed what song was playing: “P.Y.T.” by Michael Jackson. A particular favorite from their college days.

Jack began to whisper along with the opening in her ear. “ _…I always wanted a girl just like you. Such a P.Y.T. Pretty young thing_.”

“Jack!” Maddie laughed while trying to hide her blushing, and let her arms wrap around his on her waist. Memories of dancing the night away as young adults began flooding her mind.

As the beat of the song built up to the first verse, Jack placed a quick kiss on her cheek and spun her out to the center of the lab. He took a moment to crank up the volume on the stereo, then joined her. She raised a challenging, playful eyebrow at him, and they began to dance like they were 21 again.

For the first two-and-a-half minutes, there was moonwalking, the robot, and Jack’s inspired singing to Maddie. When the song got to the breakdown, the duo seemed to go on automatic.

Jack picked up a spare Fenton Thermos and began to sing into it as if it was a microphone, gripping it tightly with zest. “ _Pretty Young Things, repeat after me! Say na na na!_ ”

He extended the thermos to Maddie and she held it with him, leaning into his arm as she echoed him. “ _Na na na!_ ”

“ _Na na na na!_ ”

“ _Na na na na!_ ”

“ _Say na na na!_ ”

“ _Na na na!_ ”

“ _Na na na na na!_ ”

“ _Na na na na na!_ ”

“ _I’ll take you there, take you there!_ ” Jack finished off with a flurry of drawn-out notes.

The two danced together for the rest of the song, and as Michael’s ad-libbing faded out at the end, Maddie lingered in her husband’s embrace, a loving smile playing at her lips.

“Man, our college days were something, huh?” Jack mumbled contently into her hair.

“Mmhmm,” she agreed. “You know, I think I saw a flyer actually for the Material Grill downtown. Something about an eighties’ night coming up soon.”

“Really? We should go!” He lifted his head as excited ideas started to comet him. “We could even get all dressed up for it!”

Maddie looked up at him hopefully. “Just like old times?”

Jack tenderly kissed the top of her head and promised, “Just like old times, pretty young thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why I keep going back to “Prisoners of Love” lately, but you KNOW I wasn’t gonna miss up a chance to include the King of Pop.
> 
> This all basically stems from OTP feels, listening to the Thriller album at 1am, and that one line at the end of PoL from Jack. So, all together you get PoLMJPYTOTP. Also a little MoAT. Everyone got that?
> 
> All lyrics belong to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.


	43. She Blinded Me With Science

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNINGS: for gore, body horror.*
> 
> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 25: Accident

Getting caught by Maddie was an accident.

Foolishly not defending himself was the mistake.

Getting caught was originally  _not_  supposed to be an accident. Being a guest at Fenton Works for the weekend provided Vlad with many potential advantages, such as the one Saturday night gave him when he knew it would just be him and Maddie in the house. He had intentionally left the guest bedroom door open so she might walk by and see him changing shirts, which would hopefully intrigue and allure her.

Vlad just hadn’t expected a certain blue-skinned annoyance of a ghost to pick that moment to start haunting his room.

“I am the Box Ghost!” came the familiar cry, echoing loudly throughout the entire floor.

“Oh god,  _you_.” Vlad said with an eye roll as he transformed into Plasmius. “Get out of here! I’m busy.”

“Never! I will not leave until I have possession of every box in this room!” The Box Ghost gestured widely and floated over to a stack of boxes in the corner with a gleam in his eye. There were plenty of boxes in the room, since the Fentons also used it for extra storage.

Vlad was about to fly over to him and give him a piece of his mind, when suddenly he heard, “Freeze!”

Both ghosts turned their heads to see Maddie standing in the doorway, an ecto-gun drawn and pointed at each of them. The Box Ghost turned invisible and phased out of the room before she could give him a second thought, leaving her to turn both guns on Vlad. He boldly stood his ground.

“Make one move and you’ll regret it. How  _dare_  you intrude here!” Maddie gritted through clenched teeth.

Vlad laughed at the irony of her statement in the back of his mind, but apparently she wasn’t kidding. He was about to explain himself, but the moment he began to bring his hands up to calm her down, she fired off two quick shots.

His mind was still on her instead of switching over to his defensive instincts. The blasts hit him with expert marksmanship, and he fell to the ground as electric shocks ran through his core systems, paralyzing and knocking him into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Vlad came to, Maddie was just finishing strapping him to a table in the Fenton Works’ basement lab. The ghost portal thrummed lazily nearby - behind his head - and various beeps sounded every few seconds from around the room.

Suddenly he realized something was very, very wrong - aside from the fact he was trapped and Maddie was shooting him the nastiest of looks he’d ever seen - he was in his human form, his suit staring right back up at him. He must have changed back while he was out.

Vlad certainly never meant to let Maddie know his secret, at least not like this. But the expression on her face told him she was no more pleased about the situation than he was. If only he knew where her thought process was at the moment.

“Maddie…dear-”

“Shut it, scum,” she nearly spat in his direction. “I don’t know what you did to Vlad, but I’m gonna get you out of him.”

_Wait…she thought he was possessing himself?_  Suddenly Vlad desperately wanted her to know the real truth, if nothing more than to save himself. He could hear a clash of metal instruments against a tray as she prepared them to his left. “Maddie, wait! No, it’s really me, Vlad. I’m…half-ghost.”

She stared at him like he was insane. “Impossible,” she dismissed after a second. “It’s just a mixture of overshadowing and camouflage.”

Vlad’s heart began to race. Her views on ghosts were too focused on what she had studied, what she had seen. “Maddie, please. I can prove it. Remember the proto-portal accident in college? That’s how I got ghost powers.” He knew what she would try to pass it off as, but it was worth a shot.

“You sick, manipulative bastard.” He knew it. “Get out of his head, ghost!”

He then watched with horrified eyes as Maddie pulled out a syringe filled with a green toxic-looking liquid. “No, no no no.” He began to squirm and try to break free through phasing, but the binds on his limbs were ghost-proof.

She grabbed his upper arm forcefully, pinning it down to halt all movement, and then located the correct vein in his elbow. And then the needle was in his arm. Vlad could feel the strange liquid seeping into his system, and he involuntarily squirmed again against the sensation.

He was sure it was going to knock him out again, among other negative effects, and indeed, within moments darkness began to creep into his vision until everything was pitch black.

Only…he was still awake. He could still hear the background noise of the lab. Smell the tinge of ectoplasm and other chemicals. Feel Maddie’s presence nearby.

“M-Maddie, dear?” Vlad never got scared, but his voice was shaky with betrayal of that fact.

He jumped and his cheek stung as she landed a hard slap across his face. “Don’t you dare call me that.”

Vlad gulped down the pain. He decided to avoid addressing her altogether and simply asked, “Did you…blind me?”

“Oh good, it’s working,” she remarked casually as if she testing her car after a repair. “That’s actually just a side effect.”

“Side effect?”

“Should be permanent for you.” Vlad let out an involuntary squeak. “Its main purpose is to quickly lower your ectoplasm’s temperature. Vlad won’t feel a thing, though.”

Vlad felt his breathing hitch in his throat. He tried to regroup in his head. Okay, so he’d been blinded with no warning, which was incredibly jarring to say the least, and it felt like the ectoplasm laced in his blood was freezing over, which oddly led to his sense of touch being sharpened.

And boy, was it sharp now.

Maddie was opening his shirt and jacket, and suddenly, his chest was free to breathe, only to be worked over with her fingers as she searched for his core. Vlad had dreamed of the day when her hands would run down his chest and make him feel inexplicable things. He just hadn’t expected it to be in this particular context. He tried to lose himself to the feeling, if only to quell his fears for a few fleeting moments.

Her fingers left him and were replaced a second later by something pointy - a marker. She drew guide lines across him with little dashed lines. He knew what that meant all too well from time spent in his own lab.

“Maddie, please,” he begged, not caring about what or what not to call her. At this point, panic was starting to dictate his movements, making him flat-out struggle wildly against his restraints. “What do I need to do to prove I’m really Vlad?”

“Not a thing. I’m not gonna let you get away so you can overshadow other people or commit more crimes. I’ve heard what you’ve done,  _Plasmius_.”

Well, at least they’d finally learned his name, instead of that bland “ _Wisconsin Ghost_ ” label.

He heard something like the click of a switch, which he could only guess was a light being turned on, and then, the clink of metal again.

Vlad knew he was shaking. He could only tell how much though when Maddie’s betraying soft touch jolted him still.

And then the scalpel’s blade was running across his skin, slicing his torso open.

He yelled louder than he ever had before. Even though he was probably very close to full death if Maddie saw her actions through, Vlad somehow felt more alive than he ever had in that moment. The fact that one of his worst nightmares was coming true made it feel as if he’d been dunked head-first into a tub of reality, making him hyperaware of every single movement of the blade as it cut through each nerve of several layers of skin and muscle tissue.

Maddie still persisted despite his overwhelming screams of terror and pain. He almost  _wanted_  to die he couldn’t take it anymore.

At some point, even though he was still blind, the ball of panic in his stomach expanded as he realized that the  _inside_  of his chest was wide open and exposed. He could smell his organs this close, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

And then suddenly -  _oh god_  - she was starting to poke and probe around his heart in search of his core with something sharp.

Vlad tried to will his mind into unconsciousness. He didn’t want to go through anymore than he already had. All he wanted was to go back in time and redo things. Hunt down that  _idiotic_   _Box Ghost_  and end his afterlife. Even go further back and get out of the way of that  _blasted_  portal. Anything to avoid this moment here and now.

However, just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, Vlad heard a shout that didn’t come from himself, but was still distinctly male and further away than Maddie.

“Get away from Vlad!” Daniel, home early.

Vlad had never been more happy to have the boy interfere. As much danger as he was still in, he let out a small, yet pained sigh of relief.

“No, sweetie, you don’t understand. I’m helping him by removing a malevolent ghost that overshadowed him. I’d suggest you go back upstairs. You don’t wanna see this,” Maddie answered in a motherly tone, as if she wasn’t ripping open another human being.

Danny’s voice was closer this time, and angrier. “No,  _you_  don’t understand.  _That’s_  Vlad, and  _only_  Vlad. Didn’t he try to tell you he was half-ghost?”

Vlad didn’t miss the indirect accusation, and defended himself between gasps for air, which felt like they were coming fewer and farther between. “I…tried. She didn’t…believe me.”

Even without sight, Vlad could sense his shock. “Yeah? Well…maybe…you’ll believe  _this_!”

“Daniel, no! Wait-”

Too late. He knew Danny had transformed, and suddenly Vlad was more fearful for the boy’s life than his own.

He wanted to call out to him, to tell him to fly far away from the lab, but then he heard a thud, like a body had fallen to the ground. Yet there had been no sound of any shots or ecto-blasts.

Vlad wasn’t sure who or what had dropped until he heard a voice ask, “Are you okay?”

Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I love that song (for the title)! Listen to it for mood music for this if you want!
> 
> Poor Vlad…I love him, and yet, I love writing this kind of stuff. I feel evil. ;P


	44. Casual Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 26: Summoning

The view of the Colorado sunset from Vlad Masters’ roof took on an eerie gray as all time and motion seemed to slow to a halt around him. An eagle frozen mid-air particularly caught his eye, until a sudden burst of yellow off to his right diverted his attention.

“About time,” Vlad told the new arrival.

Bill Cipher’s body fully formed in front of him, and the triangular demon took a moment to straightened his bow tie. “Hey, crossing in and out of mindscapes isn’t as easy as you think, Plasma. I’m a busy guy.”

“Yes, yes. We all are.”

Bill gave a pointed look at the martini glass in his summoner’s hand.

“Except when it’s happy hour,” Vlad added with a side glance.

“Hey, I get ya, Vladdie,” Bill said as an identical glass appeared in his hand, only with a supernatural purple concoction. He took a deliberate sip. “So, whatcha got in store for me today?”

Vlad sighed in exasperation. “The man is  _still_  stealing my suits, and now, it’s like he’s not even trying to be stealthy about it. He treats it like it’s a game!”

“Yeah, that sounds like Stanley,” Bill agreed.

“I tried to have Stanford talk to him but he just won’t  _damn stop_!” The billionaire was subconsciously pacing around in little circles now.

“You know, you do have your own powers. I don’t see why you don’t just use those instead of coming to me.”

“Tried to. Stanford wasn’t all too thrilled about it though so I had to stop.” Vlad and Ford had formed a particularly close bond over science back in college when Ford had spent a semester visiting the University of Wisconsin. They wouldn’t admit it out loud but they’d been like brothers to each other then.

“So…you’re having me do your dirty work,” Bill asked, or rather, pointed out.

Vlad finished off his martini and straightened his back. “I prefer the term ‘regaining my peace of mind,’ but yes.”

Bill chuckled. “Oh, come on, Plasma. We both know you’ll never really get that so long as I’m around.”

“True,” Vlad admitted with an acknowledging raise of his eyebrows. “But please, if you can just sneak into Stan’s mind and destroy the memories of him stealing my suits, I’ll make it worth your while.”

The demon finished his own drink and threw the glass over his shoulder. It shattered into blue flames before it could hit the ground. “Hmm…let me into the Ghost Zone again for just a little bit, and we have a deal.”

Vlad had never been able to figure out what Bill did on their trips to the Ghost Zone. He usually dashed off at hypersonic speeds the moment they passed through the portal and he gained physical form, but since no ghosts had come to Vlad to complain, he figured Bill couldn’t be causing  _too_  much trouble.

At the very least, it seemed like he was getting off easy for the chance to finally stop Stanley’s heists.

“Deal,” Vlad agreed, shaking the hand extended to him. The glowing blue fire barely phased him.

“Well this should be interesting. It’s been a while since I went in one of the Pines’ minds.” Bill cracked his knuckles and floated higher into the air, a white light surrounding him. “I’ll be back, Plasma…”

With a flash, he vanished, and Vlad opened his eyes to see the world in full color again. The eagle started to fly away from him once more.

He let out a sigh of relief. If there was anyone he believed could actually stop Stanley, it was Bill.

And if not, that triangle better  _run_  to another dimension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with the Suits AU! Also, the idea of Bill calling Vlad “Plasma” makes me really, really happy!


	45. Masters of Champions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 27: Happily Ever After

“A little down on your side, Danny,” Maddie shouted.

“Here?” Danny asked after moving the sign.

“Little lower.”

“Here?”

“Now just a smidge higher…THERE! Perfect!”

Maddie put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly at her alignment skills as Vlad and Danny floated down to stand next to her, returning to their human forms.

“Excellent job!” Vlad said, admiring their work.

The three of them took in the eighteen-foot sign that hung between the two yellow goal pots adorned with balloons. Its message was explicitly clear: “GO PACKERS!!!”

The rest of the Masters’ personal football field was covered in similar green-and-gold decorations. Dozens of chairs and tables were strewn across the field, along with four decked-out grilling stations, heat lamps for the chilly temperatures expected that night, and pregame music already blasting out of the stadium-caliber speakers. The only thing still missing was an electrifying crowd full of cheesehead hats.

Vlad had been dreaming about this day for nearly two decades. His Green Bay Packers were in the Super Bowl once again, but more importantly, he was going to watch it with his new wife and son, Maddie and Danny.

Of course, the massive tailgate party he was hosting so the most passionate Packers fans in Wisconsin could watch the big game on his Jumbotron together didn’t hurt either.

Vlad wrapped an arm around Maddie and kissed the side of her head. “This is going to be a fantastic day. I know it,” he predicted.

“Duh. The Packers are totally gonna kill the Chargers,” said Danny. He took his phone out and took a picture of the sign.

“Indeed they will,” Vlad agreed, smiling at his son. He then clapped encouragingly as if they were in a huddle. “Alright Masters clan! Go get all the Packers gear on you can wear without falling over, and meet back here in half an hour to get this party on the road!”

Danny ran off ahead of them into their mansion, but Vlad pulled Maddie close to his side and whispered in her ear, “You know, my dear, half an hour is a long time to get dressed. Care to help me kill some time before that?”

Maddie smirked at his request. “Only if you can beat me to our room!” With no warning, she was off and running towards the castle, leaving him in the dust.

Vlad simply chuckled, “Too easy,” and flew off after her.

* * *

Thirty minutes later (forty-five for the couple), the Masters family was back out on the field and adjusting some of the snacks just so as the first of the guests started to arrive.

Things were incredibly festive as the party got underway. Vlad was manning one of the grills as he chatted with Maddie and a few others standing around him, while Danny was playing in a casual game of flag football with some other teens.

By the time the game got started, everyone had eaten a couple of burgers, hot dogs, or steaks already and now had a plateful of snacks to munch on as they sprawled across the bleachers or in fold-up chairs across the field. Vlad was sitting between Danny and Maddie in front row seats up close to the big screen, each of them sporting cheeseheads and Packers jerseys.

The Packers dominated the entire first half from the kick-off. By halftime they were leading the Chargers 24-10, which had the viewing party cheering wildly.

Madonna and Janet Jackson teamed up for a superstar duo performance for the halftime show, which promised to be a classic. Vlad enjoyed it, yet he was all too eager to get the game going again. He wanted to see his team  _win_.

Unfortunately, the Packers didn’t come out as dominant in the second half as they had been in the first. With just a little under two minutes left in the game, the Chargers tied things up at 27.

Vlad’s leg was bouncing nervously up and down and his hands were clasped together tightly under his chin. The crowd behind him had quieted down significantly, and Maddie had a supportive, yet equally nervous hand on his shoulder.

The Packers managed to get the football down to the 23-yard line with 16 seconds left. Time seemed to slow down as the quarterback broke the huddle and the two teams squared off against each other on the line of scrimmage.

The ball was snapped for the last play of the season.

The quarterback faked a hand-off to his running back. 12 seconds left. He reared back for the pass and faked it once, twice, before finally letting go. 7 seconds. Everyone held their breath as the ball sailed through the air.

At 4 seconds the ball was caught at the 2-yard line and ran into the end zone by a surprisingly wide-open Packers wide receiver for the touchdown as time expired. The volume suddenly became deafening as the fans erupted into cheers. From above, the field looked like a platter of dancing slices of cheese. The Packers had won the Super Bowl!

Vlad jumped onto his feet with wild passion, letting out a yell of joy that rivaled Danny’s ghostly wail.

He turned to his right and gave Danny a double high-five, then turned and gave Maddie the same before pulling her in for a tight hug and an excited kiss. The smile he gave her when they parted was the most genuine smile of raw happiness he’d ever given.

After all, his team were the champions once again, and Danny and Maddie were his family now. Vlad had everything he ever wanted, actual ownership of the Packers be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say MORE VLAD??


	46. The X Factor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 28: Swap

Kwan breathed in two deep breaths.

He’d waiting for this day for a long time. The past year had been spent watching all the action from the sidelines, wishing but never doing, until Dash finally convinced him to try out, and he’d surpassed all the expectations he set for himself.

And now the day was here: his first official game as a male cheerleader.

The reflection in the locker room mirror oozed confidence. Kwan knew he was ready for this. The squad had practiced. He knew his routines. Any remaining butterflies in his stomach were just first-game jitters.

He smoothed his hands over the “Casper” logo on his spiffy new uniform. Yeah, he was ready.

When Kwan ran out of the boys’ locker room to meet up with the other cheerleaders, he was greeted by a full set of bleachers filled with buzzing excitement. After all, it wasn’t just his first game cheerleading, but the first game of the football season for Casper High, and the beginning of Dash’s senior season as quarterback. It seemed like all of Amity Park was there to cheer the town star on.

Kwan couldn’t have ever imagine doing this without Dash’s support. He’d been terrified of walking into the gym as the only boy there who actually wanted to try out instead of sitting in the stands and ogling all the girls.

But when Dash boldly took a seat in the front row and cheered him on, all while daring  _anyone_  to make fun of his friend with an imposing demeanor, Kwan quickly eased his confidence and focus into the tryouts. And in turn, he impressed the coaches enough to earn a spot on the team.

Granted, being a boy probably helped his case as well (not that he needed it). With him though, the team could feature more stunts with lifts, and he got to use a megaphone with a few of the girls while the rest used pom-poms. As one of the coaches put it, he was the “X factor.”

“You ready?” asked Star as she came up behind Kwan, bringing him back into the moment.

“Yeah!” he answered cheerfully. “Are you?”

There was an extra pep in her voice that seemed to blur the gap between her normal everyday attitude and her game-time face. “You know it!”

Kwan saw their coach waving the squad over to her at the edge of the football field for final preparations. He turned back to Star. “Let’s go then!”

She smiled at him and then began to jog after the rest of their teammates.

An eager grin overcame Kwan as they did so. Just a year ago, he would’ve just been sitting in the bleachers, eating a bunch of overpriced concessions. Now, he was about to live out his current dream and actually  _participate_  as a cheerleader and support Casper High with his squad.

What a difference a year made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been busy but should finish up Phanniemay within a day or so! Have a Kwan that’s been swapped onto a different team in the meantime!


	47. Saucy Rush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 29: The Foleys

Maurice’s eyes shot open with a start at the sound of his alarm clock. For as long as he had been working full-time - 23 years in July - he would never, ever like waking up early in the morning. It just wasn’t in his DNA.

With a groan he reached a tired hand out to silence the device, then turned back over towards the center of his bed with defiantly-closed eyes. Five more minutes wouldn’t hurt. They never had, especially when the one good thing about mornings was there to make things better - Angela.

He reached a lazy arm towards the other side of the bed automatically, planning to pull his wife closer to him for some snuggling.

Except…his hand fell straight to the mattress instead of her waist. He opened his eyes wider this time, only to find himself in an otherwise-empty bed.

That was…odd, to say the least. Angela may have been a stay-at-home cook, but even so, she considered Fridays her day off and definitely cherished any extra sleep she could get just as much as he did, and she didn’t say she had anywhere to go. So where was she?

Maurice got up from bed with a sigh and put on his glasses. If the best thing about mornings wasn’t there, he might as well go find her.

Begrudgingly, his still-tired body carried itself out of his room and down the hallway. A quick peek in Tucker’s open room found the teenage boy snoring loudly and sprawled sideways on his bed. Maurice smiled and kept walking. Tucker deserved the rest. The school year had just ended the day before, and he’d seemed to really apply himself during his last week of tests.

As Maurice headed down the stairs, he sniffed the air tentatively for the possible aroma of bacon. Still nothing. In fact, the whole downstairs seemed eerily quiet.

“Angela?” he called out, listening for an answer. “Honey?”

A silent kitchen greeted him when he turned on the light. With a decisive shrug, he figured she must have gone out to the store for some forgotten item.

Seeing no need to rush the morning, since work started a little later on Fridays, he started boiling a kettle of water on the stove for some coffee and sat down at the kitchen island. The sun was just starting to rise outside, but he could still see a few remaining stars out the window.

Forty minutes later found Maurice still at the kitchen island, his coffee almost finished and a newspaper crossword puzzle in front of him, when his phone rang and he answered it much to the delight of hearing Angela’s voice on the other end.

“Hey, honey! How are you-?”

“Maurice!” she interrupted, a strange mix of concern and hurry in her voice. “Are you almost here?”

_Almost h- Oh no_.

He’d completely forgot.

Suddenly the notion of going through another usual Friday was replaced by what  _this_  Friday entailed. He didn’t have work today. No, the Fentons, Mansons, and Foleys were throwing a huge barbecue for their children at Fenton Works to celebrate the end of the school year and the start of summer.

And he’d forgotten.

Maurice got up in a scramble and looked in the fridge. Sure enough, there it was - the big tub of their secret family cola barbecue sauce chilling on the middle shelf with a bright orange post-it stuck to it reading, “DON’T FORGET MAURICE!” Angela had been reminding him for the last week about this day, and his task of bringing the sauce so they could start slow-cooking the meat all day, but between a busy week at work and life in general, it just slipped his mind.

“I-uh, yeah! Just caught in a little morning traffic. Be there soon. Love you!” He gave a kiss over the phone and hung up before she could question him further and started moving right away.

If they were to eat the meat at a reasonable time, the sauce needed to be on it within the hour, Maurice calculated. Which meant he had to be out of there in fifteen minutes or less.

He raced up the stairs and poked his head in his son’s room, knocking on the inside wall. “Hey, Tucker, time to get going!”

A mumbled protest was all that answered him.

“C’mon, BBQ Day! Sam and Danny will be there!” He needed to make sure he was up so he could drive him there.

“Ten more minutes…” Tucker insisted.

There was only one thing that would work at this point. “No. Get up now or there’ll be no meat there.”

Tucker sat up so quickly he nearly fell off his bed. “I’m up,” he said, much more alert.

“Good. Now move!”

The Foley men made record time out of their showers and getting dressed. The whole time, Maurice kept repeating, “Remember sauce, remember sauce…” to himself.

Even with the reminders, however, he almost ran out the door without it, determined to gain some time back on his side, when Tucker stopped him with, “Uhh, Dad? Sauce?”

Maurice could have slapped himself.  _What was wrong with his brain today?_  He ran back past Tucker into the kitchen, saying, “Don’t tell your mother about this and I’ll give you twenty bucks.”

“Sweet!” he called out.

“But only if you get in the car now!” Maurice added. He ran to the fridge, opened it, and pulled out the tub of sauce. He could hear Tucker running out the front door, and followed soon after him, treading the fine line of still moving fast yet not dropping the container.

Once in the car, he handed the sauce over to his son in the passenger seat. As he started up the engine, he asked, “You’re at Fenton Works a lot. What’s the fastest way there?”

Tucker tore his hungry eyes away from the sauce and looked up at the road moving in front of them, thinking. “At this hour? Probably Bryant or Jackson Street.”

“Pick one.”

“Uh…Bryant. Yeah, Bryant.”

“Bryant it is.” Maurice turned right onto the specified street at the stop sign.

The next ten minutes saw some of the most questionable driving he’d ever done, but save for a couple of blocks with a patrol car watching, they made it to Fenton Works without many obstacles.

When they pulled up outside the building, Maurice turned to Tucker. “Go take the sauce in to your mom. I’ll be right there.”

After the car door shut behind his son, he leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. He hadn’t moved in that kind of rush in years, and his older body was certainly letting him know that. Perhaps he needed to start making time to exercise again.

But in the meantime, there was a day full of refreshing beers and grilling delicious ribs and burgers with friends waiting for him.

And, perhaps, a little payback for having to chase down the best thing of his morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy June everybody! I guess this is the night of “2 More.” 2 more Phanniemay fics, and 2 more wins for the Warriors left (and until my tattoo)!
> 
> In the meantime, have this little celebration of the coming summer!


	48. A Peaceful Engagement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 30: Peace

Danny was at his wit’s end. He was 99.999% sure no one over the age of thirty had any idea what true love really was.

He knew what it was. It was feeling something entirely fantastically new yet incredibly wonderful when Sam agreed to spend the rest of her life with him.

It was both his heart and core beating to the point of bursting for her every time he saw her face, or how she was the first person he thought of whenever a ghost fight became half-life-threatening.

It was dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the purpose of giving her the life she deserved and making her happy, no matter what it took.

And yet apparently, all of that meant nothing when it came to the older generation’s opinions.

Not that anyone else’s opinions truly mattered at the end of the day, so long as Sam still loved him. But it physically pained him that her parents were vehemently against their engagement.

In all honesty, Mr. and Mrs. Manson’s long-held hatred of the Fentons, specifically Jack and Maddie, was beyond ridiculous. Danny knew they just wanted to keep Sam safe, but his parents were  _professional_  ghost hunters, so if Sam was safe with anyone in the most haunted town in America, it was with them. Danny himself would die before he let anything happen to her, even against her insisting that she could watch out for herself, which he believed with no doubt. But even so, it was ingrained in Fenton and Phantom both to protect her. The Mansons had nothing to worry about.

Besides that, there was  _no reason_  they should be interfering anyway. He and Sam were both 24, for crying out loud! And Sam had made it very clear in previous conversations she didn’t want Danny asking her parents for permission to marry her. “We already tore down those gender-based clichés in high school, and just like then, they can stay damned,” she’d said at the kitchen table.

Yet her parents had put themselves front and center of the engagement anyway. It seemed like the only thing they  _hadn’t_  done was bring out actual picket signs and stage a protest outside Fenton Works.

It was only a matter of time, though.

The worst part so far was the shouting. It seemed to be all he heard at his old home these days. The Mansons would try to get the Fentons to “do something” and get Danny to take back his proposal, and in turn, they would get defensive over their son, asking why he wasn’t good enough for their daughter. And on and on and on.

It was embarrassing, and moreover, it was  _frustrating_.

So much so that Danny had on more than one occasion just walked right out of Fenton Works and gone home to his, Sam, and Tucker’s shared house on the other side of Amity Park, fed up with it all. Tonight was one of those occasions.

He just wanted this whole fiasco over already, so the engagement could finally be a happy celebration of their love and impending marriage.

And as much as Sam had denied it, he didn’t want her worrying over the arguing anymore either.

Danny sighed and looked up at the sky from his current spot on top of their roof. He’d flown up their as soon as he’d shut off the engine of his car after an angry drive home.

The entire night sky was sparkling happily with stars, and Danny started to automatically name some off the top of his head as he spotted them. His eyes eventually settled on the deceivingly-red Antares, named for its resemblance to Mars. “Like Mars.” Like  _war_.

Another longing sigh. Danny wished he could bring both his and Sam’s parents out to the roof right now and make them realize that their argument had no real basis when compared to any of the stars lighting up the night. That each and every single one of those small dots was a mind-boggingly massive ball of elements that made the Earth, and all its problems, seem smaller like a speck of dust.

If that idea couldn’t invoke peace between the families, what would?

Danny suddenly jumped as he heard a light rapping of knuckles against the roof behind him.

“Knock knock,” Sam announced as she came down to sit next to him. “You know, you’re good at making it hard to find you so I can comfort you.”

He shrugged. “I just had to get away from the madness.”

“Yeah, my mom was looking like she was about to pounce on your dad when I finally got them out the door.”

Danny groaned into his bunched-up knees.

Sam wrapped an arm around him and kissed his shoulder. “Hey, look. It’s gonna be okay, alright? And honestly, their opinions about us don’t mean anything. We’re the ones getting married and in love, not them.”

“I know,” he sighed, kissing the top of her head. “I just want everyone to get along though. We may be the ones getting married, but we’re still combining our families, and I just want things to be peaceful for the sake of…well, peace, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. Me, too.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they thought over the situation, until Sam nudged Danny in the ribs.

“Hey! A meteor!” she exclaimed as she pointed up at the sky.

Danny whipped his head up just in time to see the tail-end of a meteor streaking towards the south. He turned to smile at her and said, “Make a wish.”

Sam closed her eyes playfully, her lips quirking up into a grin as she thought to herself, then opened them again. “Okay.”

“What did you wish for?”

“Can’t tell ya or it won’t come true,” she teased, which earned a fake pout from Danny, causing her to laugh and add, “But…I can tell you it was a two-part wish, and if you follow me into our bedroom, perhaps I’ll hint at the second part.”

His eyes grew wide as he watched her smirk and get up, walking back towards her point of access to the roof.

“You coming?”

Danny scrambled to his feet and flew towards her, surprising her by turning them both intangible and floating down to their room, where they landed on their bed.

As much as he wanted their parents to get along, ultimately Danny knew he would be okay if they didn’t. He had Sam, and so long as that was true, his heart would be at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. CLOSE.
> 
> This one’s for @peacexfreedom (aka Peace) because she’s an amazing and strong human being who’s been supporting me throughout Phanniemay and beyond and deserves all the love. :3
> 
> Also, this is partially in memory of the “Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, who was an incredible ambassador for peace around the world. Float in Paradise.


	49. New Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phanniemay 2016 - Day 31: Free Day

Tucker’s feet hung lazily over the edge of Sam’s bed as he watched Sam clean up Danny’s arm in front of her desk. Based on the amount of gauze and bandages covering the kid, they were better off putting him in a suit of bubblewrap at this point.

“How one manages to fall  _three times_  off their scooter within the same ten minutes is beyond me,” Sam chided as she inspected his arm for any remaining debris.

“Hey, I’m rusty, okay? I haven’t ridden that thing in forever, and the streets are still wet from the rain,” Danny defended.

Sam deemed his arm clean enough, then scrunched her face into a look of concern at the bare wound. He’d scraped it really bad on the concrete. “Danny…I can still see ectoplasm in it.’

Danny looked away from his phone he’d been using to distract himself from the pain and down at his arm. “Damn it,” he muttered.

For the past few months, there had been the increasing trend of more and more ectoplasm appearing in Danny’s blood whenever he got hurt as a human, way more than there usually was over the past few years. The trio didn’t know why it was happening  _now_ , but they had a theory for the reason behind it. One they desperately hoped was false.

“Okay, dude, we’ve got to do something about this,” Tucker said from the bed.

“I know…but what? I mean, if I  _am_  becoming more ghost than human, how do I just stop that?” Danny asked.

Sam set to work on wrapping up his arm with a roll of gauze as she thought the question over in her head.

Tucker, on the other hand, spoke up quickly. “Stopping ghost growth sounds like your parents’ speciality. They have anything?”

Danny sent him a fake glare. “You really trust my parents to have something for a case this specific when they don’t even know I’m half-ghost in the first place?”

“True,” Tucker said. He rolled over onto his back with a sigh.

“Eh,” Danny shrugged. “Besides, hopefully this isn’t as big as we think it is to the point where we’d have to tell them anything anyway.”

Sam chimed in as she finished fastening the bandage. “Well, as crazy as this will sound…what if we asked Vlad?”

Danny locked eyes with Tucker in a moment of realization, then turned his gaze towards his girlfriend. “How come we didn’t think of that before?”

She rolled her eyes and started to return supplies to her first-aid kit. “You guys would be dead without me.”

Rolling his eyes in return, Danny continued, “Seriously though, you’d think Vlad would know about this?”

“Maybe. Perhaps it’s a half-ghost thing?”

“I kinda hope so now. I mean, he is still half-alive and like, thirty years older than me, so he must be doing  _something_  right if he has…whatever this is.” Danny’s brow furrowed in contemplation over the new possibility.

“And if he doesn’t?” Tucker asked.

“Then he might be able to help anyway.”

The trio fell into a silence. As crazy and manipulative as he was, Vlad really was their best chance for at least figuring out what this was, if not fixing it. Hopefully he would be willing to cooperate.

Danny started to swing back and forth in Sam’s desk chair. “I guess we’ll go see him tomorrow then,” he said decisively.

Sam nodded. “Yep.”

“In the meantime,” Tucker began in an optimistic tone. “Who’s up for video games and pizza all night long?”

“ME!” Danny shouted, eager to get his mind on other things.

The three friends went down to Sam’s home theater for the night and settled into an intense gaming session interspersed with delicious pizza breaks. It was good they were seeing Vlad tomorrow, however, because no one seemed to noticed how, over the course of the night, the gauze on Danny’s arm became stained not with red, but a faint neon green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID IT. HOLY SMOKES I FINISHED PHANNIEMAY GUYS. *falls over*
> 
> Many thanks for all who supported me, and also thickerthanectoplasm for setting up the event! I love these so much!
> 
> This particular fic is a continuation of my Day 9 fic, “Surfer Ghost.” And yes, I’ll be continuing it again once I finish some other things and take a break. :D


	50. Ponies of a Feather

“Hey, sport! Whatcha got there?”

Seven-year-old Kwan looked up from his tiny backpack to see his dad’s tall frame towering in his doorway, blocking most of the hallway light. He sat kneeling on the floor, putting various school supplies into his pack, determined to make sure he had everything. His hand still clung to the last item he just put in it.

“Just my show-and-tell,” Kwan answered. He pulled his hand out to show his dad the item - a pink-and-purple My Little Pony doll.

His father frowned slightly and stepped into the room, kneeling down to his level. “Why are you bringing that?”

Kwan answered as if it wasn’t a problem. “I want to show her to my class.”

The older man sighed and rubbed a hand along his knee. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, sport.”

“Why not?” Kwan looked up at his dad with innocent eyes.

“Because…because - ah, never mind. Just, be careful today, okay?” He reached out and tussled his son’s hair, then stood and walked to the doorway, looking back once more with a sigh before leaving.

“Okay…?” Kwan half-agreed, half-questioned his dad’s lingering advice.

He shrugged it off within a few seconds, however, and started to put his beloved doll back into his backpack. He was excited to share it with his class. And despite the muffled, angry yelling coming from his dad towards his mom in the kitchen - something about “can’t grow up like this!” - Kwan had a very good feeling about the day.

* * *

Mrs. Baker was a short, trim woman who always held her students’ interests above her own. She did her best to make sure she gave special attention to each and every kid in her kindergarten class and, at least once a week, would bring in some sort of homemade baked good that she made the night before.

Today’s treat was a seasonal one - gingerbread kids, seeing as how there were only two weeks left until Christmas.

About halfway through the school day, Mrs. Baker passed out not one, but two gingerbread kids to each student and then had them turn their attention to the front of the room.

“Alright, kids,” she began in a kind, motherly voice. “It’s time for show-and-tell, and then we’ll have recess.” She checked over a clipboard, running a finger down a list and looking back up. “Kwan, you’re up first.”

Kwan smiled around a bite of gingerbread, swallowing it down, and pushed himself away from his small desk to dig into his backpack. He held his item behind his back as he made his way to the front of the room. He turned around to face everyone, and took on a eager smile.

“Okay, for show-and-tell today, I brought my most favorite toy ever…” Kwan stated carefully. He then pulled his doll out from behind his back and held it up proudly for everyone to see. “Princess Candy!”

Kwan’s heart burst with happiness over getting to share Princess Candy with the class, but within a second, it was as if someone had popped his balloon with a pin.

The whole class fell into a riot of laughter, and Kwan immediately brought Princess Candy down back into his arms, covering her with a confused and hurt expression on his face.

Mrs. Baker immediately stood up and walked to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Quiet, kids! There’s no reason for you to laugh. Kwan brought in his favorite toy, and you should show him respect and give him your undivided attention.” She turned to look down at the small child next to her. “Kwan, would you like to continue?”

Kwan shook his head vigorously, unable to speak, and returned to his desk with Mrs. Baker’s gentle nudge. He kept his eyes down for the rest of show-and-tell, looking at Princess Candy in his lap and fiercely ignoring his classmates’ prying eyes next to him. Mrs. Baker and the rest of the students’ voices drowned out around him, and he only moved when he heard the shuffle of chairs and feet getting up to go outside for recess.

Once most of the students had left the room, Kwan got up slowly and followed them out, taking Princess Candy with him. He didn’t look at anyone as he made his way to a secluded spot next to some trees, but he could hear the laughter, and his heart fell. Why didn’t they like her?

He slowly trotted her along the ground in front of him, leaning a hand against his chin. Suddenly, a pair of scuffed-up white sneakers popped into view.

“I thought it was cool that you brought in Princess Candy today.”

Kwan looked up to see a small blond boy staring down curiously at him, his hands behind his back. He was pretty sure his name was Dash, if he remembered correctly. But now was not the time for names, or his pity.

“Yeah, right,” Kwan scoffed, looking back down. “ _Everyone_  was laughing at me.”

“Not me.”

His eyebrows perked up at this, and he looked back up at the newcomer. “Really?”

“Yeah.” With that, Dash brought his hands around to his front to show him what he was holding: a My Little Pony doll just like his, only blue and pink.

Kwan stared wide-eyed at the doll, and then at Dash as a huge smile spread across his face. “She’s so pretty,” he spoke softly, and scooted over so the other boy could sit down.

“Thanks.” Dash said, taking a seat. “Her name’s Gumdrop. I was gonna show her today like you did, but when I saw everyone laughing, I switched to my football really quickly.” He took on a sad look. “Sorry you had to go through that. That must’ve been embarrassing.”

Kwan shrugged and started playing with Princess Candy’s hair. “Nah. It wasn’t  _that_  embarrassing. I was more sad actually. I felt bad they didn’t like Princess Candy.”

“Well, they’re all idiots. I  _loved_  her.”

The two boys shared a smile, before Kwan shyly tore his gaze away and looked back down at his doll. “So…you wanna play?”

“Sure!” Dash answered eagerly. “But first…here. You left these on your desk.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a napkin with the two gingerbread kids Kwan had only taken a bite out of.

Kwan took the cookies, amazed that anyone would be so thoughtful towards him. “Thank you…you want one?”

“Nah, I still have mine,” Dash declined, patting his other jacket pocket with a sly grin. “So, what do you wanna play?”

As he dove into the details of a fairytale adventure in response, Kwan was beaming joyously. He never really had a friend before, but he was sure glad to have such an awesome one for his first.

Maybe they could even be best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I’m back at it! This little cutie of a fic is based off of a text between Dash and Kwan from textsfromghosts on Tumblr (and on the prompt "Friendship/Acceptance + Kwan"), with a few minor tweaks. Kwan and Dash, I salute your lifelong bromance!


	51. More Than One Hero

Despite the noise of the crowd around him, Mr. Lancer found himself to be at relative peace.

The school year had just begun, so he was getting back into the groove of his lifelong passion, teaching. He had a date - a  _second_  date, him of all people - coming up in a few days. And tonight was the opening of the Amity Park Fall Festival, one of his favorite community events.

This year he’d agreed to be the supervisor for the Casper High science club’s stargazing booth. There were several telescopes set up in a grassy clearing, all with a clear view of the full Hunter’s Moon. Mr. Lancer was off to the side, sitting at the information table as he watched the club members help people locate celestial objects.

The telescopes were turning out to be quite a hit throughout the evening. The townsfolk were lining up to take their turns, and the club’s donation jar was filling up nicely.

At some point, the club’s secretary, Mikey, came over to the info table, and Mr. Lancer gave him a perplexed look. “Is something wrong?” he asked. The boy should’ve still been at his telescope.

“No,” Mikey answered. He bent down to get a soda out of the cooler they had set up. “Just taking a break. Danny’s using my ‘scope.” He cracked open his soda with a satisfying snap.

Mr. Lancer peered around Mikey to see Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley huddled around Mikey’s telescope. Danny had attended a few science club meetings back during freshman year, during which he proved he knew his way around telescopes, but he suddenly stopped coming for reasons unknown. It was a shame. He could’ve gone far in the club.

Danny still seemed to be very excited about astronomy, however, judging by the grin on his face. Mr. Lancer caught his smile as he watched the trio, but frowned when a bulking frame knocked Danny away from the telescope and onto the ground.

“Move it, Fentonomer,” Dash commanded. He then gestured for Paulina, who was on his arm, to look through the telescope, giving her one of his signature charming grins.

“HEY!” Mr. Lancer was out of his seat before he even realized what he was doing. The sharpness in his voice even surprised him, let alone the few bystanders’ heads that turned towards the angry noise. He ignored them, however, instead marching straight towards Dash. This kind of behavior would  _not_  be tolerated at the festival.

A flurry of delightful scents wafted into his nose as he made his way through the crowd towards Mikey’s telescope. People were enjoying funnel cakes, caramel apples, and hot chocolate. The comforting fall smells did little to calm him, but he subconsciously made a note in the back of his mind to get some of the treats for himself later.

He finally made it to Dash, whose back was turned towards him, and crossed his arms authoritatively. “Knock it off, Mr. Baxter,” he announced.

Dash jumped slightly at the sudden voice, turning around to face his teacher. Paulina looked up from the telescope’s eyepiece to watch them, a curious look on her face.

“Mr. Lancer! Is there a problem?” Dash asked innocently.

“Save it, Dash. I just saw what you did to Mr. Fenton,” he started. Dash’s face tinted with embarrassment, unaccustomed to be caught in public. Mr. Lancer was ready to hand out punishment, but then remembered they weren’t on school property. “If you want to use one of the telescopes, you can wait your turn like everyone else.”

Dash looked about ready to argue his case, but instead scoffed and shrugged. He put his arm around Paulina and led her away from the telescopes altogether, mumbling something the teacher couldn’t quite catch.

Mr. Lancer watched them go, then turned around to see if Danny was alright. To his surprise, however, Danny and his two friends were nowhere in sight. He began to turn around to look for trio, when he heard a woman’s scream pierce the night air.

Everyone’s heads whipped around towards the source of the sound. The woman herself could not be seen, already lost in the crowd, but the reason for her cry could be. Floating just above the main area of the festival was a ghost with flaming purple hair and a matching cape, and armor as black as the horse he sat upon.

Mr. Lancer had seen this ghost before, once. He’d attacked during Danny’s presentation of his haunted house room, and while Danny had insisted that the visions he’d experienced were due to Fenton Works-brand technology, Mr. Lancer found out later that they were due to the ghost’s sword.

Said sword, he noted, was currently raised high above the ghost’s head. The ghost swung it down towards the people below, sending a massive blast of green energy in their direction and causing them to flee for their lives.

The frenzy extended out to the clearing of telescopes. Mr. Lancer watched in dismay as townsfolk ran past him to escape, while some of the science club members were hurriedly trying to take down their telescopes so they could so the same.

His feet felt glued to the spot under him, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he wanted to get as far away from the ghost as possible (he would never be able to face chalkboards again), but on the other, he was still the supervisor of the science club. He had to stay and help.

Mr. Lancer began to fold up the legs of Mikey’s telescope next to him, looking around the area as he did so for a place the club could gather for safety.

A few hurried cheers erupted from the crowd, and he barely had time to notice that they were for Danny Phantom, who had just arrived on the scene and was already trying to fight off the armored ghost.

Unfortunately, the ghost had made his way closer to the science club area. His blasts sounded louder and the sense of worry in the air was stronger.

Mikey finally arrived to help finish packing up his telescope, giving Mr. Lancer the opportunity to help direct people and yell out, “Science club! Meet behind the pumpkin patch trees!” They would know what he meant. The trees that separated them from the makeshift pumpkin patch next to them were dense. Perfect for kids playing hide-and-seek. Or people hiding for their lives.

The students rushed to get behind the trees, and even some non-club members helped them. Phantom was doing his best to deflect blasts and draw the other ghost’s attention away from the humans, but the monster seemed persistent in wreaking havoc on them.

As soon as he saw the club clear the area, Mr. Lancer turned and started to run through the thinning crowd towards them.

Only…something, or  _someone_ , caught his eye. A small boy, no older than five, stood out in the middle of everyone, his eyes glued to the spectacular light show of a battle above him. He was entranced, yet seemed lost as no parent was around to claim him.

Mr. Lancer made a quick decision, his feet automatically shifting weight towards the child. He was about ten feet away when the boy suddenly shouted, “Go Danny Phantom!” as the teenage ghost above landed a hit to the enemy. The sheer volume of his cheer made Mr. Lancer freeze in his tracks. Phantom, looking down to his right, had definitely heard him.

So had the armored ghost.

Moving as fast as adrenaline would allow him, Mr. Lancer sprinted the remaining steps to the boy. The ghost above swooped down on his horse, his sword aimed not to blast, but to strike, with Phantom close on his trail.

It was Mr. Lancer, thankfully, who got to the boy first, never losing momentum as he picked him up under the shoulders and scurried them both away from the scene. The ghost descended not a moment later, swiping at empty air with his sword. He turned to glare at the two humans, but was immediately pummeled with a swift kick to the head from Phantom.

As their battle raged on, Mr. Lancer cut through the trees with the boy in tow. His heart was pounding, both from running and from the near-death experience. A green blast zipped through the trees behind him, he knew not from whom, but he craned his neck to look at Phantom, who was sending an apologetic look back at him. The familiarity in it sent shivers down his spine, but he brushed it off and kept running.

He eventually made it to where the science club had gathered, which was interspersed with members of the community. The boy wriggled free from his arms as soon as he stopped running, only to miraculously leap straight into the arms of his parents, who were both in tears over what they’d just witnessed.

Mr. Lancer slumped against a tree, his old body frustrated with the sudden burst of physical activity. He would be feeling sore tomorrow morning for sure. The boy’s parents were thanking him profusely while he stared at the ground, breathing in and out like oxygen was going out of style. He heard them call him a “hero,” which made his heart swell. Never in his entire life, even during his 20-plus years of teaching, had he been called a hero. He certainly didn’t feel like one, even now. If anyone was the hero here, it was Phantom. Still, he nodded graciously, too winded to speak.

Yet the scene of the parents hugging their child seemed to validate the title, just a little, for him. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. The boy was alive, that was what mattered.

Straightening his back with a painful groan, Mr. Lancer turned to watch the rest of the battle with those gathered under the trees, all helping to cheer on another hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yahoo! Got another one done! TWO MORE of these prompts, and I can start tackling other prompts on my list! So, so close! Can’t believe it’s taken me over a year to do these, but hey, I’m doing ‘em. :) (Prompt was "Community + Lancer")


	52. Symbiosis

Clockwork felt uneasy.

The last time he felt like this was…actually, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt this way, and that was saying something.

“Could you repeat that?” he asked. He’d heard the first time, but he wasn’t sure if he heard correctly. Part of him hoped he hadn’t.

A single large green eye stared unnervingly back at him. The light from one of Clockwork’s screens playing a future event glinted off of it. The eye spoke, its head barely bobbing.

“The Observant High Council is disbanding.”

Clockwork sighed, his body shifting into his adult form. “And let me guess. You want me to go back and prevent this from happening?” His voice was thick was unamused sarcasm, but deep down, he was hoping this was all that would be asked of him.

For all the twists and turns of time he could predict, the Observant High Council was one of the few things Clockwork did not have much insight on. Rather, they employed  _him_  for insight on other things, and meddled in  _his_  day-to-day affairs when so required. They were annoying yet, unfortunately, necessary.

“No. Quite the opposite, in fact. We need you to make sure that the disbandment  _does_  happen.”

This made Clockwork perk up. His unease had transformed into suspicion now. “Why?”

“As you know, it is our duty to keep order throughout the Ghost Zone on a grand scale, and to mediate affairs between our realm and the human realm.”

Clockwork rolled his eyes to himself. The Observants had a frustrating knack for taking ages to get to their point.

The one-eyed ghost continued obliviously. “And while we do our best to maintain the appearance of a simple court of justice, it appears that an outsider has discovered the Council’s true role as the official government of the Ghost Zone.”

“An outsider? Who?”

Ghosts more or less knew that the Observant High Council was the de facto governing body of the Zone. However in most cases, it was Walker they had to worry about unless their crime was outrageous and involved the human realm. Otherwise, they were free to go about their daily basis without giving the Zone’s laws a passing glance. Most ghosts just simply didn’t care enough.

But depending on who it was, an  _outsider_  could cause trouble if they knew how much power the Council truly had.

“Vlad Plasmius,” the Observant answered.

Clockwork tensed. Plasmius could  _definitely_  cause trouble. It didn’t take a genius to see Vlad’s evil influence in Dan Phantom (who Clockwork still had locked up in the thermos), and there had been the recent incident with him releasing Vortex on the Earth again.

Still, since they knew that he had this knowledge, the Observants could unite, prepare, and defend themselves.

“So why disband?” Clockwork voiced his trailing thought aloud.

The Observant seemed to barely shake his head, imperceptible to the casual observer. It silently disagreed with Clockwork’s train of thought. “Because if we don’t, nothing can stop Plasmius from gaining control of the Council.” 

“Of course there is! Rule 73L alone would-”

A hand stopped him. “He’s half-human, Clockwork. Our laws can’t fully apply to him. And even if they did, his existence on the human realm would still create loopholes for him.” There was a long pause to think before he continued to explain, “If we disband, there’s nothing for him to take over. He would have to start from scratch, and without laws it will be easier to stop him.”

Clockwork sighed heavily. The Observants were always bound to their laws to a sickening degree, but the fact that they wanted them removed from the picture meant this situation was beyond serious.

“Please, Clockwork. You must ensure this disbandment happens. If Plasmius gains control of the Council, he’ll gain power over the entire Ghost Zone, and will have direct control over you,” the Observant pleaded.

There it was. He knew his symbiotic relationship with the Council would get twisted into all of this. Clockwork scowled at that, but he knew it was true. As annoying as they were, he’d much rather deal with the Observants’ meddling than Plasmius’ dictatorship. At least the disbandment seemed like it would just be a temporary set-up.

Besides, even without the Council, Clockwork couldn’t stop being the master of time. His job wouldn’t change in any situation, only who did or didn’t control him. Not that he needed anyone to do that.

He gazed up at his timeline monitors. With this newfound knowledge, he would have a lot to pore over on these screens.

With a shift of his body into a more elderly form, Clockwork turned around to stare at the Observant. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

The Observant nodded in quiet acknowledgement and phased himself out of the tower without another word. Clockwork hung his head in exasperation. The things he did for the Council…

But if anything, perhaps a vacation from their meddling wouldn’t be such a bad a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one basically wrote itself, so fair warning if it doesn’t make sense. I like it though. (Prompt was "Twisted + Clockwork")
> 
> But guys. GUYS. ONE MORE. (And then Ectober happens.)


	53. Truth of Purity

“Vlad!”

Only thunder rumbling in the distant Wisconsin hills answered.

“Vlad! Where the hell are you?!”

Fury blurred the young trespasser’s eyes, made worse by the rain that clouded over the window at the end of the green-and-gold-decked hall. He fumed, stomped down the rug a little further, and called out again.

“VLAD!”

No answer, save for pattering water.

Danny was very close to breaking something. A swift kick of a table leg would do nicely, but his first priority was finding Vlad and  _stopping_  him, once and for all. This was no time for hide-and-seek.

Vlad’s ridiculous games had gone on for much too long, but this latest stunt had crossed a line. It was downright disgusting, if Danny thought about it.

He’d been onto Vlad the moment he called about visiting the Fentons for a week, but even that didn’t prepare him for what actually happened.

_Partly cloudy Saturday afternoon. An impromptu barbecue in the backyard suggested by Jack, surprisingly enforced by Vlad.  
_

_Then chaos._

_The barbecue brought an unexpected visit from the one and only Wisconsin Ghost, with an innocent Vlad Masters standing “helplessly” nearby. Blasters were drawn, banter was tossed around, and Danny didn’t even get a chance to start running to find a spot to go ghost, because Plasmius got to his point rather quickly._

_With a precise aim, the older halfa shot an ecto-blast towards Maddie. Jack was ten feet too far from his wife to do anything, but Vlad suddenly jumped into action and dove in front of her to take the hit. He absorbed the impact, landing on his back with a thud._

_Danny watched from close by, barely stunned and incredibly suspicious. Jack shot one or two more blasts at Plasmius as he flew away with a smug grin, his fangs glinting in the broken sunlight. The Fentons then gathered around Vlad to see what the damage was._

_At first, Danny was sure he was standing over a duplicate. But a quick peek back at the ghost denied that theory as Plasmius winked out of sight, seemingly being absorbed back into its original with the slight shudder Vlad gave off a few seconds later._

_Vlad’s eyelids flickered in a struggle to stay conscious. The upper-left part of his torso was smoldering as his flesh burned from the blast. The fabric of his suit around the wound was stained red with blood, quickly seeping further into his shirt. His breathing hitched with each fall of his chest. The whole image seemed forged on someone both as devious and as rich as him._

_Maddie crouched down next to him, barking orders back at Jack and Jazz, who were closest to the kitchen door, to go get the first-aid kit and towels. Danny was told to be ready to call 911 on his cell phone, but not quite yet. He automatically dug his phone out of his pocket, not even bothering to turn the screen on. He was still baffled._ Why would Vlad deliver such a direct blow to himself?

_Vlad finally came to, and Danny got his answer then. He feebly turned to Maddie as she carefully picked off strands of his shirt lying across the wound, bringing a hand up to stop hers. He held it tightly, and gazed at her with longing. “Maddie,” he rasped out. “I don’t…think I’m going to…make it.”_

_Danny rolled his eyes at the dramatics (he knew Vlad’s ghost half would heal the worst of it), but Maddie barely seemed phased, allowing him to keep hold of her hand but keeping her eyes on his injury. Years of martial arts training and countless ghost-related emergencies were keeping her calm and collected, despite the fact that she’d almost been shot herself. “You’ll be fine, Vlad,” she reassured, picking another piece of shirt out of his torso. “Just hang in there.”_

_“Maddie…please. I need to-” He choked on a cough. “I-I need to tell you s-something.”_

_She waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she prompted him with, “Yes?”_

_Instead of answering, Vlad moved his hand to her upper arm and nudged her down towards him, as if to whisper something. But in one swift move, he brought his lips up to hers and kissed her instead. He tried to make it last as long as he could, but Maddie instantly repelled herself from his grip, scrambling to her feet as Vlad’s head fell against the grass again, his eyes closed._

_Maddie’s features lit with anger and betrayal. She looked like she was about to chew him out, but some minuscule thread of composure had her turn to Danny instead and grit out an order through clenched teeth. “Call the hospital, Danny. They can deal with him. I’ll send Jack back out.”_

_Danny would’ve chuckled at the thought of his dad patching up an unwilling Vlad, if he wasn’t equally as appalled as his mom, probably even more so. Maddie would’ve chalked it up to a “final words” mentality, at most._

_But Danny knew better. That kiss was far from Vlad’s final words. He would be nearly healed by nightfall. The hospital wasn’t necessary, though by the time Danny finished with him, it would be. The teen glared back at his arch-enemy, only to find the grass looking untouched, save for the shimmer of blood on a small curved patch._

_Vlad was nowhere to be seen, leaving Danny with one guess as to where he disappeared to. With a frustrated growl, he transformed into Phantom and launched himself into the air._

_Looked like he was making a house call all the way in Wisconsin._

Danny shuddered in disgust at the memory. Only Vlad could - and  _would_  - stoop low enough to stage a seemingly fatal wound just to kiss the person he hopelessly pined after. It better have been worth the ass-kicking he was about to get.

Vlad had to be close. Danny had left right after him, yet he hadn’t seen one glimpse of him during the two-hour flight. Either he’d stayed invisible, teleported, or somehow got back to his (unnecessary) private jet in time.

So far Danny had checked the lab, all of downstairs, and three guest bedrooms on the second floor. No Vlad, and no answers to his furious calls.

The next door was promising to be more of the same frustrating news, until he saw the faintest flicker of orange from under it. His determination grew once again, and he marched over to the door, his boots squelching from the rain.

Danny swung the door open with force onto a den. It was like the spacious private library downstairs, only much smaller. There were shelves along either side, and on the far wall was a fireplace, lit and crackling loudly.

As he opened the door, he wasted no time in announcing his presence. “Vlad, I swear you better be in-”

An eerie silhouette just off to the side of the fire caught his eye. Plasmius was kneeling in front of the flames, his shoulders hunched as he leaned forward on one hand. The other hand was covering his face and he was…trembling? His cape shrouded him like a blanket, yet it hardly appeared to be comforting him.

Vlad made no sign he had heard Danny come in.

“Vlad?! Vlad!”

Danny stepped into the room, striding forward until he heard a muffled sob. He paused in shock. Was Vlad Plasmius… _crying_?

He shook it off. Vlad didn’t cry. His pride wouldn’t allow it. This had to be another ruse of some kind. Danny scanned the room for any duplicates lurking in the shadows, finding none but staying alert nevertheless. He glared back at the ghost before him, ready to take him down a notch.

“What the hell is your problem, Vlad? Why can’t you just leave my mom, and my family, alone?”

A large clap of thunder nearly shook the room, followed by a minute of thick silence only punctuated by more (fake) sobs and the snapping of flames.

Just when Danny was about to interrogate him again, Vlad finally spoke. It was in a low tone, a choked-back cry full of heartbreak.

“What’s wrong with me, Daniel?”

Danny had to bite his tongue from instantly going into a full-on passion-fueled tirade to answer the question. He started to take a step forward, but Vlad cut him off by snapping his neck around, growling to keep him away as if Danny was a predator.

Plasmius’ red eyes were highlighted by a watery glint, proving once and for all he really was crying. His lips were curved down in a regretful, angry grimace through the tears. Danny could see the injury on his shoulder at this angle; it seemed to be only halfway healed, the burnt skin reforming in patches here and there. At Vlad’s knees laid an open book. A yearbook.

Just as quickly, Vlad turned back to the fire, his head bowed down. He sniffed, then repeated his question. “What’s wrong with me?”

Danny spoke from his current spot, folding his arms over his chest. His enemy may have looked pitiful right then, but he knew better than to provoke him further. “It should be obvious, Vlad,” he remarked acidly.

Vlad shook his head shamefully. “I just want her to love me.” He brushed a hand over the yearbook. Danny couldn’t see the details of the photo, but he was guessing it was of his mom.

“Yeah, well, my dad beat you to that.” Danny rolled his eyes at the way Vlad’s body tensed. He continued, ready to berate like never before. “What you did today was despicable. Faking a serious injury just to kiss someone? Only as someone as loopy as you would even consider that in the first place. My mom thought you had a serious injury as a  _human_!”

Vlad sunk in on himself. The rest of his resolve was fading fast. “I was just…I was just trying to show her…that I would take a bullet to save her.” He subconsciously brought a hand up to his shoulder, wincing at the touch.

“By literally planning to throw yourself in harm’s way?!” Danny threw his hands up in exasperation, his green eyes smoldering in contrast to the shadows in the room. “Listen, Vlad. She will never love you. You’ve got no shot with-”

Vlad’s body, which had been trembling this whole time, seemed to unleash a wave of built-up frustration as he turned on Danny. The teen reeled back as he got a glimpse of Vlad’s eyes once again. This time they shone with a mixture of emotions Danny didn’t think he possessed, and it frightened him. Resentment, hopelessness, and pure… _desperation_.

“No, YOU listen!” Vlad roared.

Danny took a hesitant half-step back. He’d never seen Vlad like  _this_ , even at his most infuriated state. He was ready to bolt if the other so much as even  _twitched_  his knees to stand up.

More thunder in the distance. “I tried so hard all my life to be a man worthy of Maddie’s love. I could give her everything,  _everything_ , Daniel, even my life! But she still won’t love me.” By now, Vlad was crying hysterically. He turned back to the fire, shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Why doesn’t she love me?”

Danny was at a loss for words. Here was  _the_  Vlad Plasmius, still frightening, but breaking down into a vulnerable state, the suave confidence of Vlad Masters nonexistent. He found himself pitying the man before he knew it, and he felt like he was breaking some law of physics.

He sighed, unsure of what to say. Yelling didn’t seem like it would be effective in ending his games now, but perhaps reasoning would be. “Vlad, I…I thi-”

“Just leave.”

Danny’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “What? No, Vlad, come on-”

“I said LEAVE!” This time Vlad stood up as he looked at him, a beast pointing a shaking finger at the door. His typical rage seemed to be taking control once more, temporarily blinding his pain, making him strong again.

Danny quickly complied, raising his hands in a surrendering pose. This was going to take time, that was certain.

As he walked backwards to the door, watching Plasmius return to the floor, he carefully spoke a few final words. “Vlad, just…don’t do something you’ll regret.”  _Any further_ , he added in his head.

Vlad simply huffed half-heartedly, sniffing back more tears as if he was waiting for Danny to leave before breaking down again.

With another sigh, Danny turned to close the door on his way out. Just before the door clicked, he heard a page being torn out of a book.

All that followed was the renewed crackling of fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy smokes. I...I did it. It took over a year, but I did it. I completed all the prompts sapphireswimming sent me. Just...WOW.
> 
> Many thanks x infinity to the-little-insomniac for beta-reading this final prompt! And a GIGANTIC THANK YOU to sapphire for sending me these prompts in the first place! Who knew one little request would grow into this?
> 
> Now to get ready for Ectober Week in 2 days.
> 
> Important note for this particular prompt: please PLEASE listen to "Is It Scary" by Michael Jackson. It inspired this from the start and just screams Vlad. (Prompt was "Pride + Vlad")


	54. Don't Forget Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 1: Black Cat

Kitty never truly understood why Johnny loved his shadow so much. The way she saw it, he should’ve hated him -  _it_  - more than she did. 

It was almost insulting how much he liked, and sometimes relied on that thing.

After all, he -  _it_  - had been the literal bane of their existence. She figured Johnny would have hated that it had taken away his girlfriend’s  _life_ , not to mention his own. But no, despite all that, Shadow had become - in more ways than one - Johnny’s wingman.

To Kitty, he was nothing but trouble.

She’d been having such a great time the night of the accident, too.

Johnny took her on a ride through town on his bike, testing the limits of speed and making her squeal joyfully every time he took an extra-sharp turn. She playfully swatted at his shoulder, warning him to be careful once she’d calmed down. He told her he was just “livin’ life.”

It turned out he was also planning life as well that night.

He took them to a drive-in theater to see some old ‘50s flick Kitty couldn’t recall the name of. Not that it mattered, since they weren’t watching half the time. They parked his motorcycle on a hill overlooking the cars and snuggled up together against it to watch the movie and take in the stars shining above.

Kisses and promises were shared in surplus throughout the evening. Kitty felt an overwhelming surge of love coursing through her heart with each passing second, and when Johnny pulled out a ring and slid it onto her finger with a vow that they would always end up together, she knew he was the one.

After the movie and a shared milkshake at the diner, they finally climbed back onto Johnny’s bike to make their way home, Kitty’s arms wrapped extra tight around his waist.

Johnny took the longer, more scenic route back, trying to make the night last as long as possible. Kitty switched between watching the trees and suburban lights pass by, and resting her chin on his shoulder to place sweet, simple kisses along his jaw.

It was during one of these kisses that everything went up in dark flames.

Just as Kitty was resting her chin back on his shoulder, Johnny brought his right hand up to caress her cheek, turning his head ever-so-slightly to flash her his crooked smile. Their helmets clanked in harmony.

Her eyes didn’t need to meet his to see the pure joy in them. Instead, they caught sight of a dark figure - a black cat - running across the street up ahead.

She barely had time to point. “Johnny!” she shouted against the wind, directing his gaze.

He snapped his neck forward and just caught sight of the cat in time to attempt to swerve around it. But the cat seemed to have moved in the same direction as them to dodge, and with the sudden jerk on the heavy bike, the two parties collided.

The cat seemed to have gotten off the easiest, relatively speaking. It got pinned underneath Johnny’s pedal and dragged along the cement as the bike fell and skidded sideways. A quick, non-suffering death.

Kitty was thrown from the back of the bike once it caught on the edge of the sidewalk. It had already tumbled with them on it several times, breaking her leg and a few of her ribs in the process. Once she  _thudded_  into the street, two of the ribs punctured her lung. The sheer pain of it all brought her to her end within just a few minutes.

Johnny got the worst luck out of the three. He literally flew off his bike once it tripped the sidewalk, his un-strapped helmet gliding cleanly off his head. The speed he’d been riding at carried over in momentum, and his body smashed into the side of a nearby brick building with incredible force. His skull shattered on impact, and he died in the few seconds it took to fall to the ground.

When Kitty rose up out of her body later on, she had no idea how long she’d been dead for, but she inherently knew it to be so. The crash scene lay before her, but in a dreamy haze. She gasped when she saw her boyfriend’s bashed-in head.

Not a minute later, Johnny left his body, his eyes immediately checking over his new ghostly hands in wonder before they locked with hers. They seemed to recognize her, but not fully.

Faint sirens droned in the background. They’d be useless at this point, though they gave Kitty a better idea of how much time had passed.

“Johnny?” she tested. Both of them stood rooted to their spots, unsure about how to proceed in this new dimension.

Johnny stared at her, mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of what to say, before his lips set into a confused frown. “I…I know you’re my girlfriend…” He gazed down at his dead body at his feet. “But I can’t remember your name.”  

Kitty’s mind began to race as worry flooded over her. The thought of being dead was enough to send her into a panic, but all she wanted right then was for him to remember her name. Just as reassurance, that no matter what, they were in this together. Someone familiar in a new world.

Judging by his corpse on the ground, however, it seemed like he had suffered some serious head trauma right before his death, so much so that it had carried over into his afterlife.

Just as she was about to question him, a dark, strangled mewling cut her off, and they both whipped their heads toward the noise. The spirit of the black cat was rising now.

A dark wisp of smoke wafted from the animal, swirling and stretching into a tall, slender figure, a patch of black blocking out the lights of foggy oncoming cars. It opened its toxic eyes with a flash and growled as a signal of its self-awareness.

Kitty glared and scowled at it, which it only deviously smiled back at. This spirit, this  _creature_  had just  _killed_  them all, but the fact that her life was over hadn’t sunk in just yet. She was too angry at the cat for causing that fact in the first place.

And more importantly, she was too worried about her boyfriend’s loss of memory. She  _needed_  that recognition.

She watched in distaste as the shadowy spirit easily floated over to Johnny, hovering around him as if gauging his character. Once satisfied, it took position behind him, waiting.

Neither of them knew what to make of the action right then. Johnny seemed confused and a bit wary, but Kitty didn’t give him a chance to question it as she begged, “Johnny, please. Please remember.”

He focused on her, brow furrowed. “W-what letter does it start with?”

Her hope dropped a little, but she answered, “A ‘K,’ baby.” He couldn't forget now.

It seemed like hours passed as Johnny racked his brain for her name. His eyes shifted between hers and the dead cat’s body for help, before finally turning to his new shadow behind him, giving it a nod. The already-close connection didn’t go unnoticed, but it would have to wait.

So sure of himself, Johnny finally guessed, “Kitty?” Her heart crumbled into bits.

That wasn’t her name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Ectober Week, everyone! I’m super excited for Halloween this year, and even more excited that I’m already ahead of schedule! This fic is based on a theory I had about Johnny 13 and Kitty’s deaths, and Shadow’s origins. It’s pretty cool!


	55. Midnight Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 2: Midnight

11:57 P.M.

Maddie shook her head incredulously. She couldn’t remember the last time she stayed up this late voluntarily. Sixteen years of being a parent had drained her of that ability, and unless one of the kids was out late or there was ghost activity of some kind, her body started to shut down every night around 10:30, begging for sleep.

But…things had been pretty stress-free lately, and with that, came a bit more energy and therefore, a little more free time.

Tonight, for instance, she decided to stay up a few more hours to finish an experiment  _just because she could_.

But now, after an hour-and-a-half of steady work, her eyelids were starting to drag down with oncoming fatigue. Apparently, she had to build her stamina back up. She leaned back on her stool, stretching her arms back over her head.  

“I…should put this down,” said Maddie as she laid her scalpel on the table.

She could finish analyzing ectoplasmic samples in the morning. For now though, she just wanted to make it upstairs and climb into bed to snuggle with her sleeping husband. And maybe grab a little midnight snack.

Flipping off the lamp above her experiment, she covered it with a lid and tossed her goggles casually to the side. She then climbed the stairs from the lab to the kitchen, reveling in the silence of the usually boisterous house.

Just a little nibble before bed would tide over her rumbling stomach until breakfast.

Maddie opened a cabinet above the sink, looking over the snacks they had. Potato chips, granola bars, gummi bears…

Her eyes suddenly landed on a plastic container. She’d forgotten she even made them over the weekend, but there they were. A batch of her “famous” butterscotch caramel apple doodles.

It seemed like a snack Danny or Jazz would reach for at this (or any) hour, but they were in bed, asleep. No one was around. No one would know if she had one (or two).

Maddie brought the container down to the counter and popped the lid off, grabbing two of the cookies and putting the rest back before she took a bite out of one. They were just as sweet as when she’d first thought of the recipe during the kids’ elementary school years.

As she ate, she gazed out the window over the street. Their neighbors were all decorated for Halloween, with orange and purple light emanating from their front yards. But with no one walking around at midnight, the whole neighborhood seemed eerily deserted. All it was missing was a hazy blanket of fog and she would  _definitely_  be out on patrol with Jack right now.

Cookies finished, Maddie brushed her hands off over the sink. They’d definitely hit the spot, though now her mouth felt dry. She peeked over at the fridge. A small glass of milk was in order.

After grabbing a glass out of a different cabinet and setting it down, Maddie opened the fridge to grab the coconut milk, her personal favorite.

Just as she wrapped her hand around the carton though, she nearly screamed in surprise, bringing her other hand up to muffle the noise.

Their ecto-hot dogs (“mutant leftovers,” as Jazz called them) had sprung to life, popping out of their cooker and scaring the hell out of Maddie. She slammed the door quickly out of instinct to contain them.

So maybe she didn’t need milk. A glass of water from the sink could work, too.

Just as she turned on the faucet, however, the fridge shook violently. Her eyes darted to it as she frantically turned turned the water off, and she could hear growling and barking coming from within.

“Drat,” she whispered. So much for a silent house. She’d have to act swiftly if she didn’t want her family to wake up, or have a damaged fridge.

The rattling continued and Maddie looked around the kitchen for a small ecto-weapon. Obviously the latch on the cooker was broken, so she would have to put an end to the hot dogs once and for all.

Time seemed to be running short as she searched. Out of all nights to leave her utility belt in the lab, she had to pick this one.

Finally she found one at the back of the silverware drawer. It was a wrist blaster, perfect size for small, focused blasts.

Sliding it on her wrist, Maddie returned to the fridge and leaned against it as if hiding around the corner from an enemy. It sounded like the hot dogs had already done a lot of damage, but she could deal with that later.

Maddie counted down from three to clear her mind and  _focus_ , then yanked open the fridge door.

Chaos everywhere.

Only one hot dog was still in the cooker, but it was motionless and had a chunk taken out of its side. She shuddered.  _Cannibals_.

The rest were spread out throughout the now-wrecked fridge. A half-dozen of them were feasting off of the leftover pasta from dinner earlier. Two were trying to gain control over a baby carrot (even though there was a whole bag behind them), and another was chugging  _her_  coconut milk out of a poked hole in the carton. A few more, among the dozens of others, were sinking their teeth into the raw steaks she  _was_  going to cook tomorrow.

Maddie barely gave it any thought. She just raised her wrist and started picking them off one by one. Some saw what she was doing and tried to run and hide behind other food, but she caught them. The others simply didn’t know what hit them.

Within minutes, the growling and tiny barks had finally relented, and Maddie sagged into a chair she pulled out from the kitchen table. The hot dogs had certainly left a mess, one that she hadn’t helped in the slightest by shooting them. But it had to be done.

Thankfully the fridge itself hadn’t sustained major damage. She just needed to clean up the food and spilled drinks and hot dog carcasses, which sounded like a hassle for 12:17 in the middle of the night.

Dragging herself up out of the chair, she made sure no liquids were still spilling and shut the door with an exasperated sigh. It wasn’t as if the power had gone out and it would all spoil. The mess could wait for the morning.

After finally taking a few sips of water, Maddie’s feet led her upstairs to her bedroom, where she happily cuddled up next to Jack, letting his warmth soothe her to sleep. 

* * *

Morning saw Maddie waking up with an immediate need for caffeine. She  _definitely_  had to build up her stamina for staying up late again.

Jack was already up, judging by the empty spot to her right. Hopefully he had already started the coffee machine.

She got up and shuffled her feet into her slippers, then made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She mentally cheered as the scent of freshly ground coffee wafted into her nose, but it was cut off by a frowning Jack staring at her as she entered the room.

"What happened to the fridge?" he whined helplessly. He seemed needlessly upset, like it was the end of the world for him.

Maddie winced. She should've put a note on the fridge. "The hot dogs kinda...got loose last night and I had to stop them," she explained as she got a mug out for herself. "Sorry about that, sweetie. I know you still had some experiments to do on them, but..."

“No, it’s not that. Those monsters actually deserve it,” Jack said glumly.

“Wait, what? Why?” Maddie certainly had her reasons, but they were probably different from his.

Jack pulled an open, empty box from the fridge, shaking it upside-down in front of her. “They ate all my fudge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that I’m keeping up! Alternate idea for this one was gonna be some Techno Buddies waiting for the midnight release of Doomed V, but this idea seemed more fun.


	56. Handmade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 3: Ghostbusters/Skeletons

“You  _sure_  this is a good idea?” Maddie asked Jack from the passenger seat of the GAV.

“Of course, sweet cakes!” he answered. He was currently going seven over the highway speed limit, which equated to relatively mild driving for him. “The kids are old enough now to hold down the fort on their own for a weekend.”

Maddie toyed with her seatbelt. “I meant what  _we’re_  doing. You know - going to Vlad’s.”

Jack laughed heartily, reaffirming his confidence. “Of course! It’s gonna be great, just the three of us. Just like our college days!”

He curved off the highway at the next exit, and Vlad’s castle appeared in the distance, a massive structure that loomed over the surrounding country fields.

Vlad had invited the Fenton couple up to his mansion for Halloween weekend just for that reason - to reconnect as the trio of friends just like they used to be in college. Their college reunion had been far too…eventful to do so then, but with just the three of them around, Jack doubted that would be a problem this time. It was just going to be bonding, the occasional ghost hunt, and the Packers’ big game on Sunday.

Jack had to smile at that. With it being Halloween, there would definitely be increased spectral activity, especially in a mansion like Vlad’s. But the three of them would handle it, just like old times. After all, they’d been the original Ghostbusters, right  _before_  the movie came out.

Once they pulled up to the mansion, Jack put the GAV in park and went around to the back of it to help Maddie take their luggage out.

Vlad opened the massive front door just as they reached the bottom of the steps. He had a Packers sweater and jeans on in place of his usual business attire. “Ah, welcome you two!” he greeted in an uncharacteristically eager tone.

Jack and Maddie climbed the stairs up to him and set their luggage down, only to be surprised as Vlad leaned in to give them both a hug. Jack was obliviously ecstatic; Maddie was wary, but polite.

“I take it you had a good trip here?” Vlad asked, clasping his hands together.

“Oh, you bet, V-Man! Nothing but clear roads for the last eighty miles!” Jack beamed. Whether or not those clear roads were partly due to people getting out of the way of his driving remained a mystery.

“Great, great. Anyway, shall we get you two settled in?” He stepped back and gestured to the open door behind him. “Please, this way.”

Maddie and Jack picked up their suitcases and followed him inside. They stared in awe at the transformation his entrance hall had undergone since their last visit.

“Wow…Vlad. This is…” Maddie trailed off, taking it all in.

“Why, it’s spectacular, Vladdie!” Jack filled in.

Indeed, the hall was now decorated for Halloween. The usual green-and-gold Packers memorabilia had been splashed with heavy doses of orange and black. Pumpkins lined the walkway, candles were spread out along tables, and up above, streamers and skeletons hung between championship banners. All in all, it brought a spark of festivity to the room.

“Thank you, Jack,“ Vlad said, leading them to the stairs while waving his hand around. ”I host quite a few…parties this time of year, so this is all for those.“

Maddie had been caught up in staring at the skeletons. There were so many, and they all looked like they were watching her every move. She shrugged it off as a creepy optical illusion from the way they were arranged and focused back in on the conversation.

“That must be wonderful,” she added in half-heartedly, unsure if her response was even fitting.

Thankfully, Vlad nodded in gratitude. “Oh, believe me, it is.” He gave her a chilling, unnerving smile. “Now, come along. The bedroom you two last stayed in is being remodeled, so you’ll be in a different one this time…”

* * *

Later that night, once Jack and Maddie had settled in, and Vlad had served an exquisite steak dinner for the three of them, they split off in separate directions. Maddie went upstairs to their room to call and check in with the kids. Vlad, meanwhile, walked and talked with Jack as he led him through the castle.

To Jack, it truly felt like old times, when the two of them would wander the science building together, gathering supplies or conducting experiments. They’d practically been brothers then. Jack missed that.

He was about to point this out, when Vlad spoke first. “You know, Jack, I don’t think I got a chance to show you my lab when you were here for the reunion. Care to see it?”

Jack’s face lit up. “Really?” Perhaps they were already back on the way to being best friends.

“Of course. Follow me.“

Vlad led him down a series of hallways until they reached a door, through which was another smaller hallway with two doors on each side. They stopped in front of a mechanical sliding panel, which opened automatically for them, and stepped inside. The door slid shut behind them.

Jack was amazed. The lab and its technology certainly reflected its owner’s wealth. Machines sparkled like they were brand new, and equipment was stacked orderly along shelves and stations. Everything was in its place, except for one odd standout.

“Jeez, Vladdie. You sure do have a lot of skeletons,“ he remarked, walking a few steps toward his point of interest.

In the corner, a pile of skeletons leaned against the wall, as if they’d been pushed aside. Jack had noticed plenty of the decorations throughout the castle, but he didn’t expect to see any in Vlad’s private lab.

Vlad crossed over to a table at the far side of the room. “Ah, yes, well I, uh…I was going to hang those ones up in here, but I haven’t gotten a chance yet.”

Jack hummed to himself, then asked, “Where’d you even get so many, anyway?”

“Oh, I made them.” Vlad was now sorting tools at the table, his back turned to Jack.

A craftsman. Leave it to his best friend to be talented at yet another skill. It looks like he needed to catch up on what he’d learned over the years.

“Incredible! They look so professional,” Jack praised. He moved closer to the skeletons to admire them further. It seemed like they were fully anatomically correct, and he couldn’t find a screw or glue holding any bones together, they were so well-made. “How’d you do it?”

Jack peered over his shoulder to look at his friend, but he was surprised by the sight he saw.

Vlad had turned back around to face Jack, and was holding a knife in one hand and a needle in the other. He smiled sinisterly and carried a ravenous look in his eyes as he stalked forward. Jack could’ve sworn he saw a glint of fangs as the smile broadened, and his own heartbeat began to race.

“Would you like to find out?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just gotta let the vampire within take over, you know? (Also, I managed to fit in both themes! Woohoo!!)


	57. Deal of the Knight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 4: Crossroads

_A deal?_

Never in all his afterlife would the Fright Knight ever consider going against his king. He was Pariah’s most loyal subject, his right-hand man. The commander of his army and personal guardsman.

But the Fright Knight was nothing if not a ghost of opportunity. And lately, he’d been feeling like there were less and less opportunities for him to shine in his current position.

He needed something different.

So when Plasmius offered to make a deal that would give him more personal power than he’d ever had, he unbelievably found himself questioning his allegiance to King Pariah. Plasmius was a human as well, after all. Surely two realms meant twice the power.

Of course, he still needed more convincing.

That’s why, after Pariah had gotten his ring back from the red huntress, the Fright Knight willingly - and secretly - sought Plasmius out. Or, rather, he  _waited_  for him, since that insufferable ghost shield was still up, separating the human realm from the Ghost Zone.

It didn’t take long for him to appear. Vlad was back out and flying toward their castle just minutes after he’d last seen him - unconscious, being dragged with the ghost boy behind the huntress on her jet sled.

The Fright Knight stopped him immediately, flying up in front of him and crossing his arms. Vlad came to a halt and smiled, his fangs gleaming.

“Ah, just the ghost I wanted to see,” the halfa chimed. “Have you thought about my offer?” He looked ready to bolt, just in case the answer was a violent no.

“Actually, yes,“ the Fright Knight answered.

“And?”

“Do you swear that I’ll become the new ruler of the Ghost Zone?”

Vlad’s voice turned sickly sweet, though this flew past the ghost. “Of course. You’ll still have to serve me as supreme ruler of both dimensions from time to time, but you will essentially be taking Pariah’s place.”

The Fright Knight paused to consider this. So he would still be serving someone higher up than him. He should’ve expected as much.

But  _he_  would be in charge of his own realm.  _He_  would get to call the shots, and direct his army on  _his_  order.  _He_  would be king.

It would be the same, but a step up.

The Fright Knight gave a decisive nod and stuck his hand out. “I’m in.”

“Marvelous,” Vlad said, shaking his hand.

“What do we do nex-”

A loud  _boom_  cut the Fright Knight off, and both ghosts turned to stare in the direction of the noise. Off to the side, a small figure was moving at an incredible speed away from the ghost shield toward Pariah’s castle.

“Daniel,” Vlad muttered under his breath. He put a hand up to stop the Fright Knight. “Let him go. He’s helping our plan.”

“Then what do we do?” the Fright Knight asked again.

“We help him, and get the crown and the ring. Come on, follow me.”

By the time they got to the castle, the ghost boy was already in mid-battle with Pariah. Vlad and the Fright Knight joined the other ghosts in fighting off a few skeletons, before they moved into the throne room, where Vlad was all too ready to lock the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep at  _just_  the right moment.

At no point did the Fright Knight find himself trying to stop the upheaval of his former king, nor did he mind it. He’d serve Pariah for far too long, and for far too little personal gain. He had this coming.

And when Plasmius spoke to the ghost boy - telling him that he’d used him to “turn a knight” - the Fright Knight found he didn't mind that either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I love doing scene inserts? Because something happened in "Reign Storm" that we didn't see, and that something involves the Fright Knight and my favorite halfa.


	58. The Red Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 5: Lady in White/Witches

There’s a legend that runs deep in Amity Park. If you know the right people, and  _they_  know the right people, you  _might_  be able to hear a somewhat-organized version of the story.

Only one person can say for certain he knows the full story, and that’s because he ended it himself.

His name? Freakshow.

His full name is too lengthy to remember, but even if you tried to track him down yourself, it’d be a waste of time anyway. He only told the story once, and he claims that one time was a “grand mistake.”

And that’s why the legend is so sparse, and yet, oh so popular. Ask anyone in Amity Park; they’ll at least have heard  _of_  it, if not have a wild fascination with it.

Of course there’s no written record of the legend, but if there were, it would look something like this:

Back in 1981, the backroads of Amity Park were terribly dangerous. With no guardrails in place yet (they were added in the ‘90s), cars would have to go extremely slow on the winding roads to avoid falling off the cliff into the canyon below. There was barely a shoulder to scoot onto when an oncoming car passed you, but somehow, those who did dare the road accomplished this feat. Those who didn’t dare found that going the longer way around the area was well worth the extra time.

Driving on these roads at night or during rain storms was out of the question. The highly-emphasized signs placed on either end of the canyon were extremely effective in preventing this, even to the newest of tourists who’d never been to the area before.

But not even these signs could stop one particular driver.

Lydia was rumored to have been about 21 or 23, according to the coroner’s report. They never did find a license.

It had been raining though, and definitely nighttime. She may have survived if she had gone slow, since no one else was crazy enough to drive in those conditions and therefore the road was clear. But with the slick cement and her angry, heartbroken state, her car flipped right off into the canyon.

Accounts differ as to why Lydia was angry, but the most widespread and generally accepted one involves her ex-boyfriend. 

Apparently earlier that night, she found her boyfriend making out with the “more important” of his two girlfriends in his bedroom. Whether their hair was tousled from their hands or a ride on his motorcycle before then is up for debate, but most teens will tell you it was both.

After she found them in the middle of their betrayal, Lydia didn’t look back and went straight to her car, driving off with blinding, furious tears in her eyes. She speeded up until she hit the bottom of the canyon.

The rescue teams had a hell of a time removing her body and the wreckage. The road was closed for a couple of weeks, but they still insisted on maneuvering just inside the canyon and its entrances.

Fortunately, you didn’t have to visit the crash site to pay your respects or see her.

She was taken to the Amity Park Cemetery. Her ex-boyfriend didn’t come to the funeral, nor did many other people except for her family and some city officials in charge of road reconstruction.

The visitor count rose though after the first sighting, which was by a couple members of the Casper High football team who’d been out at the cemetery smoking cigarettes late at night. They bolted after they saw her ghost and never came back.

The rumors quickly spread, and soon, Lydia was a tourist attraction of ever-increasing magnitude. No one knew why she haunted the cemetery, but it was easy to see her if you came at the right time.

She gained the nickname of the Red Witch, due to the red cloak she wore. Those who saw her claimed her skin was green, and saw equally bright green figures glowing and dancing around her at night.

The most chilling part of a Lydia sighting though was not her appearance, but her sound. Most of the time she stayed eerily silent, but on the anniversary of her death, she was known to cry out, "Where's my Johnny?" and "Have you seen my Johnny?" The sound was so heartbreaking that most visitors left immediately, suddenly ashamed that they couldn't help her.

One visitor, however, decided to use this tidbit of knowledge to his advantage.

In 2002, after many years had passed and the legend of the Red Witch had wound itself thoroughly into local folklore, one man by the name of Freakshow came to Amity Park.

Freakshow was an odd fellow, to say the least. He had inherited his family's circus and toured the whole country to entertain the masses. He was never satisfied though, and therefore was always on the lookout for new talent to keep things weird.

He'd gotten word of Lydia through a tourist pamphlet about the world's most haunted towns and promptly came to Amity Park to investigate. Her appearance alone sounded like a perfect fit for the circus. He could train her, make her the main attraction. People would definitely pay extra to see a ghost of her caliber.

The moment he got into town, he went to the library and did his research, finding out the  _when_  and the  _why_  of Lydia’s death primarily - and the  _who_.

Coincidentally, he’d arrived just in time for the 21st anniversary of her death. He even dug down deep enough (though annoyingly didn’t leave a paper trail) to find out exactly who her ex-boyfriend was and what he looked like. Apparently he and another girl had died in a motor accident within a year after Lydia’s passing.

Freakshow chose an off-night to go to the cemetery. No one knew he was there, because no one was there to begin with.

Lydia, for her part, never actually paid the tourists any attention, or at least as far as anyone could tell. She always seemed like she was looking around the cemetery for someone in particular, someone who would never come. But she never made eye contact.

Until Freakshow arrived, that is.

When he dared to walk closer to her than most people ever had, her featureless eyes immediately locked onto him and seemed to recognize him. He had a device at the ready, a family heirloom that could lure her in and control her if need be.

But to his pleasure, none of it was necessary. His research had paid off.

Something in Lydia’s soul triggered as  _familiar_. His pale, bony face and wide eyes, and knowing smirk that had made her heart melt when she was alive were all there. The details were fuzzy, but perhaps this was who she’d been waiting for all these years. Perhaps he’d finally come to his senses and realized what he’d given up.

Perhaps this was her Johnny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was researching the Lady in White, and it turns out that one popular version of the legend exists really, really close to where I live? Terrifying to read that at 1:30 a.m. to say the least, but at the same time I couldn’t NOT do it then. So my fic for this prompt is based on specifically the White Witch that hangs out in Niles Canyon. Never going there again.


	59. Pumpkin Fright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 6: Pumpkin Spice/Insects

“Dude, I am gonna squash you like a bug!”

“Oh really? How are you gonna do that when I’m doing THIS?”

Danny and Tucker laughed as they continued to throw competitive jabs at each other. They were in the middle of a Bros Weekend at Tucker’s house, where the host was currently annihilating his guest in their eighth round of playing the new  _Doomed IV_.

The boys were so rowdy they barely heard the knock at the door.

“Come in!” Tucker yelled, pausing the game.

His mom, Angela, opened the door and stepped inside. Both of them looked up from their computers to see her slinging her purse over one shoulder.

“Tucker, honey,” she rushed. “I need to go down to the store really quickly for a few things before this storm rolls in.” She glanced past them out his window to see clouds looming in the distance. All week long the weather channel had been talking about it, saying it was going to be one of the worst of the year. “I just put a batch of pumpkin cookies in the oven though, so I need you to go downstairs and take them out they’re ready. Should be ten minutes or so.”

Tucker let out a low whine as he leaned his head back against his chair. “But Mooooom! We’re in the middle of something!”

Angela stared at him for a fraction of a second. Her errands were too urgent to hassle with a teenage boy right then. She quickly offered, “If you do this then you both can have a few cookies when they’re done.”

“You mean they weren’t for us to begin with?!” Tucker gasped in shock.

She just rolled her eyes in response. “Go watch them. Please.” With that, Angela shut the door as she left, making her way down the stairs.

Danny looked over expectantly at Tucker. “Dude, are these those pumpkin cookies with the mini chocolate chips and the caramel sauce?”

“Probably, I don’t know.” He closed his laptop and got up to stretch. “Those sound perfect right now though.”

“Definitely. I think either those or your mom’s sugar cookies are my favorites of hers,” Danny stated as he mimicked his friend.

The two of them left the room and started to walk downstairs. The scent of cookies was already reaching them, making their mouths water.

“Oh, dude, that last cheat code we were using? We have to tell Sam about it when she gets back from Japan,” Tucker noted. They’d already found a way to decrease the rate of their health loss by half in the game.

Danny laughed, looking over his shoulder as he bounced down the steps. “You know, she probably already knows about it.”

“But it  _just_  came out yesterday and she’s been gone all week!”

They reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner into the Foley kitchen. Danny sniffed the air with hungry impatience, before saying, “Yeah, but it’s Sam.”

“True,” Tucker shrugged. He made his way over to the oven and turned on the light to peek inside. The cookies were about halfway done, he determined.

The next seven minutes were spent discussing game strategy and tactics on how to take out opponents in  _Doomed_. When the timer on the counter finally  _dinged_  to announce the completion of the baking, Tucker eagerly slipped on a pair of bacon-print oven mitts and opened the appliance. The room smelled like heaven, as Danny had guessed right - these were caramel-chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

Tucker turned around after closing the oven and slid the tray onto the island counter. “I can’t believe we have to wait for these to cool off,” he grumbled, remembering the last time he burned his mouth on fresh cookies.

“Eh, it won’t be too long,” Danny said with a shrug. “I can cool them off a bit with my ice powers if you want.” He flashed his eyes a brighter, glowing blue in suggestion.

“What? And have my cookies turn into hockey pucks? No thank you.”

Tucker picked up the spatula his mom had left with a cooling rack on the counter and wedged it under a cookie. Just as he lifted it, however, all the cookies floated up off the tray into the air, swirling around into a mini tornado of sweets. A second later, the Lunch Lady phased into visibility above the counter.

“Aw man, I really wanted to eat that one,” Tucker insisted, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.

Danny took a defensive stance and transformed into Phantom. “Don’t worry, Tuck, I’ll get it.” He launched himself up into the air to face the Lunch Lady head-on. “Hey! Last time I checked, cookie-selling season’s in the spring!”

The Lunch Lady roared back at him. “Be prepared to be sold your  _doom_! These are not normal chocolate chips cookies! You’ve altered a classic recipe!”

Danny rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Uh, it’s called an  _improvement_. Have you ever tried a pumpkin cookie before?”

The look of appall on the Lunch Lady’s face would’ve been hilarious to the boys were it not for the killer death glare laced into it. “You should be ashamed! I’ll teach you to mess with the classics!” she shouted, raising her arms above her head. Her hands began to glow, and more food from around the kitchen floated up to join the cookies.

Danny dodged a few preliminary blasts of food, letting them crash into the wall behind him.

“Hey man!” Tucker yelled from below, trying to avoid the shots himself. “Be careful, or my mom will kill me!”

“Sorry!” Danny told him, then looked back up at the Lunch Lady. “Just…go get your thermos! I’ll hold her off!”

Tucker dutifully saluted, then ducked down to the ground on his hands and knees to crawl unnoticed out of the kitchen. Danny yelped in pain behind him as he sprinted up the stairs, but he kept his focus on the task at hand. He ran into his room, whipping his head around in his search.

“Thermos…thermos…why do I still have this?” he wondered, picking up a book he’d forgotten to return to the library. He tossed it aside, then stuck his hand back under his bed to continue looking. “Thermos…therm- aha! Gotcha!” He wrapped his hands around the cylinder and yanked it out, checking to make sure it was empty. “Perfect.”

He raced out of his room and back down the stairs, thermos in hand. “Danny, I got the- oh damn!”

He jaw hung low as he surveyed the state of the kitchen in front of him. There was flour and soda stains and food bits everywhere, including on Danny. The flour, if possible, made his white hair and pale skin look even more ghostly. The kitchen itself, with its compact size, looked like it had just faced the worst food fight in history.

Danny had a ghost shield up against the Lunch Lady, who was wreaking more culinary havoc on him. “Tucker! Now!” he commanded. “Suck her in!”

Before the Lunch Lady could even process what he said, Tucker uncapped the thermos he was holding and aimed it at her, pressing the “Capture” button. “Kitchen’s closed!” he exclaimed, watching as she swirled into the thermos with a fading cry. As soon as she was caught, he snapped the lid back on the device, trapping her.

Danny floated down to the kitchen floor as Tucker walked further in, his face draining of color as he took in the full extent of damage the fight had done to the room. He turned to Danny with wide eyes, slowly saying, “Dude…this doesn’t look like ‘careful.’”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Danny admitted, changing back into his human form. “She just seemed extra powerful this time? Guess we should start cleaning up before your mom gets back though…”

“Yeah…” Tucker agreed.

The two of them fell into a silence as the atmosphere calmed down and they tried to catch their breaths. They looked around the room, trying to determine what needed to be done to make it shine like brand new, until both of their gazes settled on one particular object.

There, lying haphazardly in the middle of the island counter, was one solitary pumpkin cookie that had managed to survive the fight, save for an insignificant nick in its edge.

Danny and Tucker stared at it, then at each other in complete silence, both trying to communicate wordlessly with each other for ownership of the cookie.

Then, within a fraction of a second, all hell broke loose as both teens lunged for the cookie, hands grasping frantically and shoulders nudging each other out of the way.

“It’s mine! Let go! I just fought off a ghost for you!”

“Yeah, but I caught her!  _And_  it’s my house and  _my_  mom’s recipe!”

The battle continued mercilessly, all else except the cookie forgotten until a shocked scream from Tucker’s mom caught their attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE. I’m gonna do “Full Moon” tonight or tomorrow and then that’ll be 2 straight years of Ectober Week done! Also super happy I got to include Angela in this one! :D


	60. Eclipsed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ectober Week 2016 - Day 7: Full Moon

Danny couldn’t stop running.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t. His feet were on automatic, a survival instinct making them move as quickly as they could. He guessed it was a good thing they were in charge right then, because  _man, he was tired_.

And hurt.

The elbows and back of his jacket and jeans were terribly scraped up, leaving scratches and cuts all along his skin. He’d basically slid down the face of the cliff holding up the Amity Park Observatory, having been cornered into doing so. He had no flight, no intangibility, no ecto-blasts. Nothing. All because of Vlad.

It had been such a peaceful night, too. Danny planned everything under the radar so no one except his friends would know where he was, and that’s because they were with him. They’d fought with him about it at first, insisting he should just stay home, but he’d convinced them.

All Danny wanted to do was watch the lunar eclipse that night. But after finding out during the last one that lunar eclipses blocked out his ice powers since his core partly relied on the moon’s energy, he had to take extra precautions.

Unfortunately, his precautions didn’t work well enough.

Danny had been casually watching the eclipse through a telescope on the observation deck as Sam and Tucker hung out close to his sides. One of them was always on the lookout for ghosts just in case, and Tucker had a timer going on his PDA to keep track of how much time was left in the phenomenon.

They’d lasted a grand total of twelve minutes and seventeen seconds into the nearly two hours of totality. The full moon was shining a beautiful blood red at this point, leaving Danny feeling oddly tranquil despite his loss of power, but of course a certain  _fruit loop_  had to ruin it all.

Vlad had floated up into the scope’s trajectory, blocking out the moon without so much as a warning.

Sam and Tucker immediately drew their blasters on him as they pushed Danny behind them. Danny himself had a wrist blaster aimed at the older halfa from between his two friends. Fortunately, the rest of the observation deck was deserted, considering Danny had flown them up there during the observatory’s off-hours.

“What do you want, Plasmius?” Tucker barked at him.

Vlad merely chuckled, looking at his gloved fingers with casual disinterest. “Oh, nothing. I was just going for a flight under this  _gorgeous_  eclipse, and I thought, ‘Oh, I bet Daniel would  _love_  to play a little game during this.’”

Danny shuddered at his words. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this wasn’t just a sudden thought. “Whatever you’re planning, Vlad, just stop. You know as well as I do what’s going on right now.”

“Oh, do I?” Vlad’s voice dripped with mocking sweetness. “Or do I know more than that, including that I’m going to use this eclipse to get what I want?” He stared Danny down, his red eyes sending silent threats and his fangs glistening in the cold night air. Against the red moon behind him, he looked even more supernatural than normal.

Danny was already planning in the back of his mind how he was going to get Vlad back during the next solar eclipse, when his fire core would be blocked out. In the meantime, he just sneered at Vlad, but before he could open his mouth, an ecto-blast hit Vlad in the stomach.

Tucker’s gun was still smoking and he didn’t even turn his head as he commanded, “Danny, run!”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Without his powers and only a wrist blaster, he was next to useless. He started to make for the side pathway that led to the parking lot and driveway of the observatory as he heard his friends firing away behind him, but within a few seconds Plasmius popped up in front of him, causing him to take a sharp right. Sam fired another shot just after Danny turned, this one hitting Vlad right below his collarbone, allowing herself and Tucker to land more shots to distract him.

Danny ran straight for the guardrail of the deck. The forest below wasn’t too far, and the cliff holding up the observatory was inclined enough that it would seem like a very steep slide going down, but not a straight fall. Without letting himself think too much about it, he kicked his feet over the rail and began the descent to the trees below.

It felt like an eternity before he found himself scraping along the edges of tree branches and miraculously landing on his feet, even if he did stumble a little. He could hear Vlad roaring above on the observation deck. Either Tucker and Sam were doing a good job of holding him off, or he was gearing up to come zooming down the cliff any second.

And that’s how Danny found himself running for his life.

As he ran, he tried to think of his next move. If he could just survive the next hour and a half of totality for the eclipse, he could get his powers back slowly but surely and  _fight_. But with the moon weakening him more than normal right now, he was beyond useless. So he just kept running.

The forest around him looked extremely eerie. The dimmed light of the moon crept in through the tree branches, washing everything in blood red like it was a murder scene, almost like Vlad’s soulless eyes were watching him from every angle. It sent chills down his spine.

Another roar came from behind Danny, this one a little closer. He needed to find a place to hide, and fast. The only possible good thing about the eclipse’s effects was that by blocking out his powers, it also blocked out the ability for other ghosts to recognize his ecto-signature and hunt him out, as if it didn’t exist at all.

He started to swing his head left and right, looking for possible shelter. If he could just keep finding hiding spots until he got his powers back, he’d be golden.

_There_.

Just up ahead on the right was a dense section of bushes. Danny started to veer for it, paying careful attention to make sure Vlad didn’t see him as he ducked into the shrubs and laid flat on his belly. He swallowed down gulps of air, trying to silence his racing heart.

Within minutes Vlad was flying through the area, snarling in frustration over having lost his trail. Sam and Tucker were nowhere to be seen, and Danny prayed that it was just because they couldn’t keep up with Vlad, especially going down the cliff.

Eventually, Vlad moved past the area, but Danny knew that he was nowhere close to giving up the search.

Within minutes, he was back, looking over the area even closer, but Danny had already made a run for it across the forest, putting more distance between him and his pursuer.

He hadn’t even stopped to consider what Vlad wanted this time around. He was sure it had something to do with becoming his son or getting to his mom, but something in the way he smiled earlier suggested something much more sinister. Not that Danny wanted to find out what it was.

The next hour boiled down to essentially the most intense, high-stakes game of hide-and-seek Danny had ever played. Without his ecto-signature, it turned out he was pretty good at it, and fortunately Vlad was solely interested in him, and not his friends. He wasn’t sure where they had ended up, but so long as they were safe, he’d rather them stay away than come after him.

He mostly used bushes for cover, but a few times he was able to use the trunk of a very large tree to duck behind. Once he even found a cave that he snuck in  _after_  Vlad had checked it, but considering its obviousness, he abandoned it quickly.

With about twenty minutes of totality left, Danny found himself under another bunch of bushes, trying to make himself lay flat as possible.

Sighing quietly into the ground, he rested his forehead against the Earth. Every one of his bones ached and his scratches stung from lack of care. If it wasn’t for the fruit loop chasing after him right now, he could’ve easily fallen asleep right then and there, being lulled by the darkened lighting from the moon.

Instead, Danny carefully craned his neck back up, keeping his arms tight against his sides. Listening carefully, he only heard the sounds of the forest - crickets, owls, and the occasional rustling of pine needles in the wind.

He hadn’t seen Vlad since two hiding spots ago. Either he must’ve been way better at hiding than he thought, or Vlad was waiting, trying to lure him out.

Danny wasn’t going to take the bait. He could tough out fifteen more minutes under the bush. Then the eclipse would start to fade away and return the moon to its full, empowering glory.

After the time had passed, and he dared to peek up through an opening in the bushes and tree branches at the moon to see a sliver of white peeling away at its edge, Danny finally determined it was safe enough to get up and test his powers again, and get the hell out of there.

Using his forearms, he wiggled backwards out from under the brush, ignoring how the tips of the branches cut his back even more. As he stood up, he took a moment to stretch his arms out quickly, making his neck crack from stiffness. He could already feel his power returning, that familiar chill racing through his core.

Just as he turned around, however, he jumped back in fright.

Without any warning, Vlad had popped into visibility in front of him, a smirk growing on his face. He grabbed the off-guard Danny by the neck, raising him into the air a few feet off the ground, letting his fingers apply pressure to his throat.

Using that sickly sweet voice again that made Danny tense up with fear, Vlad said, “Hello, Little Badger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo! I did it! I finished Ectober Week again! (Now to dive straight into Coran Week.) This fic is partly inspired by an idea in _Avatar: the Last Airbender_.
> 
> Many thanks to thickerthanectoplasm for hosting these Phandom events! I always have fun with them! :)


	61. A Hunter's Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vengeful Babes Week 2017 - Day 1: Hidden

Danielle kept her eyes firmly glued to the screen. One false move and she would be ghost toast. She couldn't blow her cover now. She  _wouldn't_  let them get her again.

Valerie's voice hissed in her ear above the noise. "Do  _something_!"

Dani rolled her eyes, hesitating with her response. "I...I'm trying, okay? I'm not just gonna jump into that."

"Yeah, well, while you're thinking it over, I could use some backup down here, so  _come on_!"

With a breath to steady herself, Dani finally settled on a tactic that had the smallest chances of getting herself killed, and jumped. As she floated down, about half of the enemy's eyes focused on her.

Within seven seconds, she managed to kill two enemies before another grabbed her and threw her off the ledge, leaving Valerie alone yet again to fend for herself.

The half-ghost groaned. As her head fell back against the couch, she heard a chuckle.

"That was your last life, babe. Which means  _you_  get to make the snacks tonight."

Dani grumbled and threw the pillow beside her at her girlfriend's shoulder, making her laugh even more. She knew playing  _Super Smash Bros._  would only end in humiliation for herself. Stupid game. Stupid ledge. Stupid Kirby.

She tossed her controller to the side and got up, walking deliberately slowly in front of Valerie to mess with her game-playing. On instinct, she turned intangible just as the pillow met her back and turned around to stick her tongue out at the other.

With a more amused sigh, she walked into their apartment's kitchen. They'd move in together about a month ago, after Danielle's 21st birthday and a year's worth of secretly dating. They were taking things slow, especially now that the ever-protective Danny knew about them, but between the financial benefits and the mutual company, moving in together had felt like the right step.

Dani unwrapped a bag of popcorn and placed it in the microwave, letting it pop while she got some sodas out of the fridge. She really did enjoy living with her girlfriend, even if she was better gamer than she was, but sometimes she  _did_  want things to move faster. She loved Valerie, and she wanted to prove it to her.

When she came back into the living room, Val had a smug grin splayed across her face. "I avenged your death, don't worry," she declared, her hand digging into the popcorn the moment Dani set the bowl down.

"My hero in red armor," Dani deadpanned in a overly-dramatic damsel tone. She jumped back into the couch, opting to lay sideways and lean back against the armrest. She dug her controller out of the cushions, letting it fall in her lap.

Valerie smirked at her. "What do you say to one more round, and then we watch a movie?"

"Ugh. I really don't want to be embarrassed again." Dani reached out towards the TV tray next to the couch, grabbing her soda to open it.

"Aw, come on! I'll let you pick the location!"

"Fiiiine," she drawled out.

After picking their characters for the next round, the game loaded the available locations for them to play at. Dani casually moved her joystick as she pondered the different settings, before her cursor landed on one she hadn't really noticed before.

"Hey! This place reminds me of when I went to Japan!"

Valerie shot a curious look her way. "You've been to Japan?"

Dani met her stare with her own. "...Did I not tell you?"

"Not that I remember..."

She'd shared most of her worldly adventures with the ghost hunter, both from before and after she'd saved her from Vlad. Apparently at least one tale had slipped through, however.

"Oh. Well, there's actually not much to tell from then. I was only there about a week," Dani recalled. Yet what a week it had been.

"Still, Japan! I'd love to visit myself someday..." Valerie dreamed, crossing her legs under herself. "So, what did you do there?"

Dani carried her gaze up to the ceiling, letting the memories come back to her. It felt like forever ago, but it'd been one of the more entertaining places she visited. She started to list things off on her fingers. "Eh, you know. Saw the sights, took a couple lessons in ninjutsu, got a tattoo, ate my weight in candy-"

Her recounting was cut off by a sudden gasp from Valerie. "You got a tattoo?!"

Dani looked back down at her bewildered girlfriend. "I...well, yeah."

Valerie's face looked like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be excitedly intrigued or confused as to why she hadn't learned this tidbit of information before. It finally landed somewhere in the middle and she asked, "How come you never mentioned it before?"

Dani's cheeks instantly turned red with the heat of embarrassment. "To be honest, I kind of wanted to leave it a surprise f-for you." She gulped, staring down at the controller in her lap. "It's...hidden."

Silence spread across the room as both girls thought about why Valerie hadn't seen the hidden tattoo yet. They both knew why, and the mood in the air took on a sudden shift. It wasn't tense, but something about it was definitely making Dani's stomach fill with butterflies.

"...Can I see it?"

And there the butterflies went, up her throat. She knew exactly where this could lead, and while she wanted that, she just hadn't expected the opportunity to present itself so suddenly. She felt unprepared and nervous out of her mind. But if she could cover her fear, then perhaps the night would work out in her favor.

Dani dared herself to look Valerie straight in the eye, swallowing down the lump in her throat as inconspicuously as possible. With an attempt at a confident smirk, she answered, "Only if you earn it."

Thankfully, that was all the invitation Valerie needed to lunge across the couch, landing on top of her girlfriend with a wild grin. They both laughed as she said, "I think I can do that," before their lips met in a heated kiss.

Any tension that was in the room before evaporated to make way for an air of romance and anticipation. They were both comfortable using the tattoo as an excuse, but their kisses silently revealed just how much desire was between them.

Dani scooted further down the couch so that Valerie was hovering directly above her. The latter began trailing kisses down the other's jaw and neck, while their hands roamed each other's torsos.

As Valerie's kisses started nearing the collar of Dani's shirt, she asked, "So, can I have a hint as to where this tattoo is?" She then pulled the top of her shirt down a few inches, kissing each new exposed area of skin.

"You're...definitely...going in the right direction," Dani teased, her breathing already starting to get ragged. If there was one thing that could make her melt into a  _wanted_  puddle of goo, it was neck kisses.

Valerie chuckled, leaning forward to nibble at Dani's collarbone. "Then I guess I'll just have to keep going that way." The physical response she got from Dani was not lost on her, nor was it when her hands ducked beneath the hemline of her shirt, urging it up over her head to reveal nothing on underneath.

Dani tilted her chin forward to gaze at Valerie, who was smiling at her. This was as undressed as either of them had seen the other, but she knew that would be different after tonight. She gave an invisible nod for her to continue.

Each kiss on now-bare skin left Dani feeling more and more tingly, as if she was turning intangible with each one. She tried to stay rooted by focusing on Valerie's upcoming reaction to her tattoo, but when the other reached the edge of her shorts, her mind refused to cooperate.

That is, until Valerie actually nudged her shorts down over her legs. Judging by the immediate surprise that graced her features, Valerie had seen the tattoo.

Dani leaned up on her elbows, clearly amused. "It's fitting, huh?"

There, at the very top of her right thigh, was her tattoo: a small green ghost from  _Pac-Man_.

Valerie couldn't remember the specific ghost's name, but the ink definitely fit her half-ghost girlfriend, as funny as it was. It was tasteful and...cute. She ran her thumb over it, watching the skin follow her path.

"The game's from Japan anyway, so I figured it was the best place in the world to get this," Dani explained. "Do you like it?"

The ghost hunter answered by leaning down to place a tender kiss over the tattoo, which made Dani sigh blissfully. "I love it. In fact," Valerie started as she continued kissing the area, "It kinda makes me want to get my own tattoo."

"Oh yeah? Of what?" Dani asked between breaths.

Valerie climbed back up to kiss her playfully on the lips. "Of Pac-Man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everybody! I'm super excited that Vengeful Babes Week is finally happening! :D
> 
> Bonus points if you get where I got this chapter's title from. ;)


	62. Friendly Gestures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vengeful Babes Week 2017 - Day 2: Sleepover

Valerie watched the two ghosts with mounting ease. After rescuing Danielle from Vlad in a joint effort, it felt...allowable to let her guard down around her and Phantom. Not completely, but enough to push the desire to keep an ecto-weapon ready to the back of her mind.

She definitely was taking an extra liking to Dani though, that was certain. Human, ghost, or both, there was something about the girl that felt honest, despite their first meeting.

With a shake of her head, Valerie's attention drifted back to the conversation.

"...Now that this phantom is fixed, she's got places to go," Dani remarked cheerfully.

_Wait, Dani's leaving already?_ Valerie was surprised at the tinge of sadness that fell over her heart at this new turn of events.

"Well just be safe, okay?" Phantom warned.

"Aw, Danny, nothing can hurt me now!" Dani leaned forward to kiss Phantom on the cheek. "See ya." She floated back to wave at Val. "And thanks Valerie!"

As Dani flew off into the evening sky, Valerie had a feeling she would regret it if she didn't say _something_. It was like some instinct was pushing her to act quickly, leaving her stomach feeling all tingly.

Before she could think twice she called out, "Wait! Dani!"

Both Phantoms turned to her, and Dani quirked an eyebrow up. "Yeah?"

Suddenly Valerie wished the other Danny was gone, but she ignored it. "Do you...have to leave so soon?"

The girl shrugged, and floated back towards them. "I mean, it's be nice if I could cover some ground tonight. I've been wanting to go to California. How come?"

"It's just...maybe you should rest. Take a break, y'know?" Valerie could've smacked herself over her poor phrasing. She inhaled deeply, then decided to get straight to her point. "I'm going to a party tonight."

"A party?"

"A sleepover party, actually. W-wanna come with me? It's at my friend Danny's house." She had to hold back the snicker over how many Dannys she knew now.

Speaking of, Phantom suddenly jumped back into the conversation with a choked cough. As he regathered his stance, he stumbled over his words. "You mean F-Fenton? As in Fenton Works? A-are you sure it's a wise idea to bring Dani there?"

"It'll be okay. Just as long as she stays human, she'll be fine, right?" Valerie looked from Phantom to Dani, who was looking just as apprehensive as her cousin. "If I wasn't able to detect her as a human on _my_ equipment, then the Fentons definitely won't be able to. Besides, if anything does happens, I'm more than capable of protecting her."

Dani's muscles seemed to relax at the reassurances, and she shied her glance away from the hunter, a blush rising on her cheeks. "Okay, I'm in. Just as long as Danny thinks it's okay."

Both girls turned their heads toward him, and his gaze sent an unspoken message to Dani before he finally said, "I guess so. Since that's the case then, I'm gonna go now."

Valerie gave him a quizzical look. "Where are you going?"

"Just gotta get back to the Ghost Zone, that's all. I-I'll let you two go get ready for the sleepover." He gave Dani another pointed look, adding, "Stay out of trouble, cuz. And thanks for helping with the rescue, Valerie."

With one final pause, he took off into the night, his flight seeming more rushed than normal.

Valerie shrugged off the ghost boy's weirdness and turned back to Dani, who was watching her with keen interest. "What?"

"Hmm? Oh nothing," Dani shook off, shifting her glance away. "Sooo...a sleepover, huh? I've never really been to one of those."

"Really?"

Dani shrugged, leaning back against nothingness. "Well, unless you count sleeping in the projector room at a drive-in movie theater for a night, theeeen no."

"Oh." Valerie's chin fell. Compared to how Dani had been living, especially with her instability then, Val and her dad's situation seemed like paradise. Today had been humbling if anything, that was for sure. "Well...this will be fun then! C'mon, let's go to my place first, and we'll get some stuff for the sleepover."

The half-ghost nodded, and the two took off for Valerie's apartment back in Elmerton.

After making sure her dad wasn't home, Valerie ushered Dani through her open bedroom window and followed her in, closing it behind her. She willed her jet sled back into her armor, then crossed over to her dresser. "You need some clothes for tonight?" Without waiting for a response, she began to rifle through her clothes.

"Why are you doing this, Val?"

Valerie's hands stilled and she turned to see the girl staring at her inquisitively, her arms crossed. Valerie couldn't help the blush that rose on her cheeks at the stance. It made her feel...vulnerable. "W-what do you mean?"

The stance relaxed. "Like, I know that you're not tricking me or anything, I trust you now on that. But why invite me to this party? You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." The words were out of her mouth before she could process them, and Valerie faced her dresser again, picking up a pair of basketball shorts. "Besides, like I said, you should take a break and rest."

As silence fell between them again, Valerie missed the knowing smirk behind her. After a few more seconds of looking through her clothes, she turned and held up the shorts and a blue tank-top. "Are these good?"

"Yep!" Dani reached forward and snatched the clothes out of Val's hands, holding them up against herself.

Once Valerie found some clothes for herself, she put them and Danielle's into a backpack along with a few other items, and they were out the window once more, sights set on Fenton Works.

When they reached the street around the block from the bright neon sign, the girls landed in an alley. Valerie willed her armor away and Dani transformed into her human self. They both checked each other over, then casually walked out of the alley, making sure they weren't being watched.

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Dani asked as they strolled the sidewalk.

"I'm positive. As long as you stay human, there should be no problem." Without thinking, Valerie reached down and grabbed the girl's hand with a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fun."

Dani gazed down in awe at their hands, then relaxed into a smile, nodding.

However, as they walked up the front steps of Fenton Works and Valerie rang the doorbell, she couldn't deny the nerves in her own gut. She'd phased through these walls just hours earlier with Phantom, as a trespasser and a thief, despite their good intentions to get the cure. It felt weird to be back now as an invited guest.

But as Danny opened the door to greet them with a friendly, if nervous smile, and Danielle squeezed her hand back as they walked into the party, something told her it _would_ be okay.

It _would_ be fun.

And if she played her cards right, it would be _magical_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back for day two! This particular fic takes a different direction from the end of “D-Stabilized,” so keep that in mind. ;)


	63. Distractions in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vengeful Babes Week 2017 - Day 3: Flowers

The food on the table looked heavenly. No, beyond heavenly. Its enticement had transcended heaven and was floating way out on the fringes of the solar system.

Danielle couldn't wait to consume her food. She looked over at Valerie to her right, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, then at their server, who was taking a tortuously long time to refill their water glasses. Once he was gone...

Their meal was complemented by a stunning view of the Hawaiian shoreline catching the day's sunset. But that could wait. Because in front of Dani was the best-looking club sandwich she had ever seen, sliced up and surrounding a bowl of crispy golden fries, and adorned with Hawaiian flowers and pineapple chunks along the plate's edges. Valerie had a similarly-served burger in front of her, and between them sat a Hawaiian pizza for them to share. To complete the course they'd ordered a couple of Blue Hawaiians, which almost looked too beautiful to drink. Almost.

Finally the waiter left, and Dani wasted no time in picking up a section of her sandwich, eyes hungry. The couple had spent most of the day at the beach surfing, so their appetites were strong. Ravenously strong.

But before she could dig in, Valerie held out her arm and said, "Stop!" The ghost girl flashed her eyes green in a glaring response, and Val continued. "I wanna take a picture of all of this."

Dani groaned and slouched in her seat, setting her food down. "Why must you torture me so?"

Valerie snapped a few shots of the table, then aimed her phone at Dani. "Because you love me." Click.

"That doesn't even make sense," Dani countered, shaking her head. "Can I eat now?"

"Go crazy."

Within milliseconds the sandwich was in her hands again, and Dani sunk her teeth in for a bite. She nearly melted in her seat. Somehow, the food tasted even better than it looked. It was reaching interstellar levels of delicious.

Once both girls had eaten enough to push the gnawing feelings of hunger away, they slowed down to a more relaxed pace, even taking the time to enjoy the incredible views around their little outdoor table.

At some point, Valerie wiped her hands on her napkin after finishing a slice of pizza and raised her drink in a toast, prompting Danielle to do the same.

"Here's to this trip, this amazing food, and to us! Happy anniversary, babe!" Valerie proclaimed, leaning over to give her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips before they clinked glasses.

Dani sipped her drink between a huge grin. She never thought that the ghost hunter she once feared when she was just thirteen years old would one day be celebrating their five-year anniversary with her in Hawaii. It was insane, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

As they began to finish up their meals, Dani toyed with the flowers at the edge of her plate while eating the pineapple chunks. In a moment of silliness, she stuck one of the flowers behind her right ear, then turned to her partner.

"Hey, Valerie, how do I look?" She stuck her arm behind her head and posed for a fake glamor shot.

Valerie smirked and leaned against the table on her elbow, chin in hand and eyes lustful. "Stunning. Absolutely stunning." After a beat, she blinked herself out of her reverie and joked, "Oh, you meant the flower. Yeah, that's beautiful too."

They laughed as Dani reached over to lightly shove Valerie's shoulder, all while trying to contain her blush.

After a few more minutes of not-so-subtle flirting and planning for that evening, a young man around their age suddenly approached the table. He looked like he was from the area, and spent more time in the ocean surfing than on land.

"Hello..." Dani greeted hesitantly as the man immediately focused his attention on her.

"Aloha, I'm Ryan," he returned. His voice sounded shaky in its casualness, as if he had to talk himself into coming over to them. He gulped and continued. "Listen, I know you're almost done eating here and everything, but would you maybe want to go out for drinks later tonight?"

Dani blinked at him incredulously, feeling blindsided. "Uh, sorry. I'm already involved with someone." To prove her point, she interlaced her hand with Valerie's on the edge of the table.

Ryan's eyes followed her hand and he turned red instantly, backing up a few steps. "O-Oh sorry! I thought you were single!"

"What made you think that?" Dani asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I just assumed so, because your flower is behind your right ear." When he was met with blank stares, he explained, "S-See, in Hawaiian culture, a flower behind your right ear means you're single, and one behind your left ear means you're taken."

The girls nodded in dawning realization. "Got it," Valerie added, a tinge of possessiveness tracing her voice. "Well, hate to break it to you, Ryan, but unfortunately for you, we just didn't know about that custom. Sorry, pal."

"Oh, the mistake's all mine. Sorry about that again. I hope you two ladies have a lovely evening." Just as quickly as he'd showed up, Ryan ducked back into the noise of the restaurant.

"That was...random," Dani declared, turning her gaze back once Ryan was out of view. She was surprised to see Val's hand nearly in front of her face. "What are you doing?"

"Fixing this." Valerie plucked the flower out from behind Dani's right ear and replaced it behind her left. She let her fingers linger along her neck after, her lips quirking into a soft smile. "Even more stunning now."

Dani grabbed Valerie's hand beside her face and gave it a comforting squeeze. "What? Worried some Hawaiian hunk might swoop in and take me away?" she laughed.

"Ha! Nah, just want to make sure nothing distracts you from tonight, and us. Because trust me," Val whispered, closing the distance between them. "You're not gonna want to miss one _second_ of it."

Dani's breath hitched in her throat, and she sat there stunned as Valerie leaned back, satisfied with the effect her words were having on her.

The waiter dropped off their check then, and as they stood up to go pay it, Dani snatched another flower from her plate and turned Valerie around by the shoulder. She carefully threaded the flower's stem behind her girlfriend's left ear.

Valerie smiled, asking with a chuckle, "What's that for?"

Dani blushed and answered, "After what you said, I don't want you distracted either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha! I'd love writing this shot, because Hawaii + food = happy me. This is actually based off of a pic I took in Hawaii, which you can find the link to in the Tumblr version of this shot, and off of a custom I learned while there. I figured they applied perfectly to Dani and Val. ;)


	64. Danielle: The First Ectobender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vengeful Babes Week 2017 - Day 4: Sparring

"Man, I am so pumped up right now!"

Danielle bounded up from the couch as Valerie came into the living room through the front door. She took a fighting stance and threw a few spirited punches into the air.

Val laughed, shrugging off her backpack onto the floor. "I take it you're enjoying _Avatar_?"

"It's not just that!" Dani exclaimed. "During this last episode I realized that my ghost powers are basically ectoplasm bending! I'm a bender!" As if to prove her point, she summoned a ball of ecto-energy in her palm, its green glow casting eerie shadows over the apartment.

"Whoa, cool! I never thought of it like that," Valerie replied, impressed.

Dani quickly stepped forward into a punch, letting a small puff of energy leave her fist and evaporate in the air. It looked like one of the firebending stances in _Avatar_ , but her form was rather sloppy.

Valerie's grin morphed into a smirk. "I think you need some practice there, young Avatar."

The ghost girl relaxed back into a standing position. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, your form. You have the power, but your form is...unrefined. It's too loose, too quick." Valerie walked towards her and took up her own fighting stance, throwing a few jabs. "You need to keep it sharp and under control."

Dani's eyes lit up with renewed wonder. "Ooh, I get it! What you're saying is I need a master!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. "Not exactly, but sure, okay."

"Now I just need to figure out which style to learn..." Dani pondered, crossing her legs under her so she was floating mid-air. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I am partial to firebending. Do you know what style it's based off of in real life?"

"How should I know?" Valerie nudged her girlfriend's leg, making her float closer to the couch before sitting down herself.

"Well, you know taekwondo. I figure your guess is better than mine."

Valerie perked up at this, exclaiming, "Wait that's it! Why don't I just teach you taekwondo? Add to it the ecto-energy and bam! You have your own completely unique bending style!"

Dani nearly did a back-flip as she landed on the couch and grabbed Valerie's shoulders with excitement. "That would be _the_ coolest thing ever!" she said, leaning forward to give Valerie a kiss. "Let's do it!"

* * *

It had been two weeks since Valerie had suggested that she teach taekwondo to Dani. And while the half-ghost was picking up the techniques rather easily, combining them with her powers into a seamless form was proving to be a bit of a challenge. That's why Valerie insisted Dani clear away an entire Saturday. They were going on a spirit world journey.

And by "spirit world journey," Val meant a trip to the Ghost Zone.

When she told Danny they'd be stopping by Fenton Works to use the ghost portal, Danny had been downright suspicious. Even if Val had eased up on her hatred toward ghosts, an impromptu trip to the Zone seemed awfully intentional.

His mindset changed however when Valerie promised him she would have Dani teach him ectobending, which would benefit everybody. But for that Saturday, it was just Dani, Valerie, and the endless void of the Ghost Zone.

Valerie brought Dani to a pre-chosen floating island. It was covered in spectral trees, similar to Skulker's island, but it had a clearing in the center and was overall much smaller. The perfect spot to practice.

As the girls landed in the clearing, Valerie willed her jet sled back into her suit. She surveyed the area then said, "Okay, this is where we're gonna be for the next few hours. We'll do some meditation, and then get down to business."

Dani nodded, and they sat down on the ground, facing a section of trees. While meditating, Valerie peeked over at her pupil every so often. She noticed her aura glowing stronger the longer they were in the Ghost Zone. With luck, hopefully the increase in power would benefit their practice.

After a good fifteen minutes of meditation, Valerie stood back up and did some light stretches, prompting Dani to do the same.

"Well, I'd say we're warmed up," Valerie noted. "Let's go through your basic drills."

"With ectoplasm or without?" Dani asked, settling into her first stance.

Valerie walked over to the side of the clearing, her arms crossed over her chest. "Without. That'll come in a bit. Okay, first drill, go!"

The duo fell into the rhythm of their drills, and Dani punched and kicked through the moves like she'd been doing them her whole life. Her aura was thriving off of her environment, and it only seemed to bolster her actions.

When she finished the last set, Valerie nodded, highly impressed. "Excellent. That's the best you've ever done!" she praised, strolling back over so she was standing across the clearing from her girlfriend.

"Thanks." Dani was leaning forward on her knees, taking a breather, but she showed no signs of true fatigue.

"So, now let's try it with ectoplasm. Let the muscle memory of the drills control your form. You just focus on adding power to them. The energy is an extension of the move, not a change," she explained.

"Thanks, Piandao."

Valerie had to resist sticking her tongue out at the reference. "You're Zuko, and I'm supposed to be Iroh in this case, young pupil."

"Sorry, Master Iroh," Dani laughed, pretending to bow with the fire nation hand gesture.

"That's more like it," Valerie approved, returning the bow. From the bow she jumped into a fighting stance, her mind focusing in on her training from years of lessons. "Okay, now show me what you got! Time to spar!" A small ecto-gun unveiled itself on each of her wrists, prompting her to add, "And just so you'll focus more on adding your powers to your moves, I'm going to use a little power myself."

Dani visibly gulped at Valerie's challenging smirk. She knew what that look meant on the ghost hunter's face, and it seemed like she was about to be its victim. But she could do this. She just had to focus...

She took her own stance, and when Valerie gave the signal to start sparring, she put all her effort into channeling a ghost ray through the end of her punch. Her eyes were closed, but when she opened them, she saw green smoke coming off her fist and Valerie laying in the distance, propping herself up on her elbows.

Dani immediately ran to Valerie's side. The hunter coughed a few times, but was still smiling through it. "Wow...I need to take you to the Ghost Zone more often."

"Did I do it right? With the ectoplasm and all, I mean?" Dani asked, placing a hand along Valerie's back to support her.

"It was perfect! Perfect form and perfect power!" Valerie then looked down at her side, where a section of her armor was charred. "I just don't think my suit was expecting it." Another chuckle.

Dani hid her face in guilt. "Sorry. Do you want to stop for now?"

"Take my hand?"

Dani did as she was told and grabbed Valerie's hand, expecting to help her up. However, Val pulled her down to the ground instead and flipped her over, pinning her to the ground effortlessly.

"You wish," she finally answered, leaning forward to give Dani a kiss before standing up to offer a hand to help her up. "Now come on, sparring's just beginning, young ectobender."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Almost done! I’m super excited about this shot, because I’ve had the idea of ectoplasm bending for a while. It’s basically what ghosts do, right? (Also I have been watching waaaaay too much Avatar lately. That might’ve had something to do with this.) ;P


	65. Breaking Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vengeful Babes Week 2017 - Day 5: Future

Danny had always known he and Valerie had a complicated relationship. Their short stint of dating appeared to be the peak of it, yet thankfully it had mellowed out into the usual social awkward friendship status with Fenton and a mutual acknowledgement of being frenemies with Phantom.

But now the issue of dating had made things complicated again.

Only this time, Valerie was dating Dan _i_. And Dani was moving in with the Fentons.

Danny was completely fine with his cousin and hunter dating. They'd seem to really hit it off after rescuing Danielle from Vlad. He just hadn't anticipated the consequences.

When Dani moved in as the newest member of the Fenton clan, Valerie began to hang out at Fenton Works a whole lot more. It would've been okay, but Danny could see the way Valerie was always on high alert, making sure her half-ghost girlfriend was safe in a house of unsuspecting ghost hunters.

Or so she thought.

Unfortunately, she was keeping _too_ close of an eye on things for Danny's comfort. He himself was already doing a good job of keeping Dani and her secret safe. He taught her how to keep a straight face if and when one of his parent's inventions ever honed in on her ecto-signature.

It's just that Valerie didn't know these things. She knew that Phantom was also keeping an eye on Dani, and that Fenton wouldn't harm her anyway, but she didn't know they were one and the same. That she never needed to worry, regardless of which Danny her girlfriend was hanging out with.

But one night, after Valerie had gone home, Danielle came into Danny's bedroom with some troubling news.

"She knows."

Danny nearly choked on his soda and scrambled up off of his bed. He knew exactly what she meant, but he still shouted, "What?!"

"Well, she sort of does." Dani walked casually across the room, plopping down in her cousin's desk chair. "When I was saying goodbye to her just now, she asked me if there were any other half-ghosts besides me and Vlad. I told her I wasn't sure, but then she told me she thinks that you and Phantom are the same guy. She made me promise not to tell, but I think the circumstances deem otherwise."

Danny looked paler than he did in his ghost form. He started pacing around the room, speaking his thoughts aloud. "This is bad. This is so bad..."

Dani just slouched back in the chair, more amused than anything else. "I think it's kind of funny." After Danny's death glare, she continued, "Look, she knows I'm half-ghost, and she hasn't tried to shoot at Phantom in a long time. You guys are friends, I think you should tell her."

"Are you nuts?" Danny turned to her, his face twisted in panic. "After everything that's happened between us - if she found out it was _me_ who did all those things she hunted Phantom for, t-that would...oh man, I can't even imagine how she'd react!"

The room fell silent as Danny's head filled with over-dramatic scenarios. Dani felt torn between wanting to help him, and wanting to laugh over how ridiculous the whole snafu was.

"You gotta convince her I'm not Phantom," Danny finally said.

"Oh, come on! I say we just let her suspicions simmer for a little while, have some fun with it. I'll pretend to spy on you like she asked-"

"She WHAT?!"

Danny was now in Dani's face, his hands gripping her shoulders with a death grip. She finally couldn't help herself and burst into full-on laughter.

"Danny, relax. Look, I really don't think she would hurt you if she found out. If she was going to, I think she would've just flown right up here and done it the moment she had the idea."

Danny's hands fell to his sides, and he returned to pacing.

"It'll be okay. I'll keep her at enough of a distance, but maybe we can play a few tricks in the meantime, alright?" Dani watched his shoulders finally surrender their tension.

"Fine," Danny sighed.

"Yes!" Dani hopped up to give her cousin a hug. "This is gonna be so fun!"

It was Danny's turn to laugh. "Val sure knows how to pick 'em," he deadpanned.

A pillow from his bed effectively silenced him.

* * *

It had been a little over a week since "Operation: Craze the Hunter" had been approved, and Valerie was nearing her breaking point.

It was like they were purposely teasing her, she was sure of it! Every little denial of her not-so-subtle prodding, Dani's surprisingly _un_ helpful spying, and Phantom's muffled laughter whenever she turned her back were starting to wear on her.

Everything seemed to click into place when the adoption papers for Dani were approved. When Jack first called her "Dani Fenton," Valerie could've smacked herself. As much as she loved her girlfriend, she _really_ needed to work on original names.

And Danny needed to do a better job of protecting his alter ego.

This fool-proof evidence had Valerie nearly bursting at the seams. The day after Dani was officially adopted, Valerie went with her and Danny to the mall for some lunch.

She spent most of the time debating in her head how she was going to bring the topic up, make Danny spill. Right before the group left their table, Val pulled Dani aside.

"I need you to keep Danny distracted for a few minutes, then just go to his car in the parking lot," was her only instruction.

Dani stared at her suspiciously. "What are you gonna do, Val?"

"Let's just say, Phantom's going to need to make a very quick appearance." She smirked, then pulled Dani in for a quick kiss. "Just remember I still love you. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

Before Dani could respond, Valerie was walking out the mall doors, a clever grin on her face. Danny would _have_ to use his powers, probably before he even had a chance to transform. His secret's time was up.

She ducked into the parking lot and in between two cars, then willed her suit to cover her body from head to toe. When the two Fentons finally walked past her hiding spot, she put her plan into action.

Valerie flew out on her jet sled from between the cars, stealthily flying behind the two just until...

"Watch out!"

The shout came from Valerie, who was planning to shoot at the ground right behind Dani as if there was a ghost there. The plan was to make Danny's protective instincts kick into gear.

But right as she pulled the trigger on her ecto-gun, Phantom phased into view right in front of her...with Fenton still completely human at Dani's side. She barely had time to register the ray of ice power that froze her gun before Phantom was flying off with a cocky smirk, baiting her to chase him and get them away from the humans.

But Dani and Danny were right there, both staring at her dumbfounded under the pretense that neither of them knew who the Red Huntress was.

"I...don't worry, I'll get that ghost," Valerie promised, keeping up the ruse.

She took off swiftly into the air, pretending like she was going after Phantom, but instead altered her course. She was going to Fenton Works.

She'd reach the breaking point.

* * *

"So apparently Val's back at our place," Dani told Danny, pocketing her phone. "I think you won."

"Not _quite_ yet," Danny replied, driving his jeep through the streets of Amity Park.

Dani groaned, leaning her head back. "Oh come on! That duplicate stunt you pulled back there was pretty cruel, man."

He chuckled, turning onto their street. "Hey, you said yourself we should have a little fun."

"True," Dani conceded with a tiny grin. "But still, I think it's safe to tell her now. I'll be in the room just in case though."

"Yeah, alright..."

Danny put his jeep in park in Fenton Works' driveway, then went inside with Danielle. After some invisible searching, they found Val laying on Dani's bed, watching some show on TV.

Instead of going back out into the hall, however, Danny floated carefully in the air beside the bed, prompting Dani to do the same. With a deep breath, he then popped into sight, as his human self.

After the scream ended, Danny calmly said, "Hey, Val, there's something I gotta tell you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah! I finished Vengeful Babes Week! Yaaay! This particular shot is inspired by the now-canon fact that Dani would've moved in with the Fentons had the series continued, but it doesn't include "Phantom Planet" for the reasons you just read. ;) I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
